Refreshing the interior
This article was opened on 14 May 2012, and
last modified on 29 July 2013.
Above: Club Class seating in trailer
60501. The freshly-repainted ceiling is seen
to advantage in this shot. (Since this photo was taken, the “Trojan”
moquette has been swapped for red; details below.)
Since early 2011, Mick Tester has been working on the interior of our
train to refresh the paintwork and seating-upholstery. Work has included
painting ceilings in all the “Hastings” vehicles, together with the
finishes in the engine-rooms and guard’s vans; and the seating in the
Club Class saloons has been fully re-trimmed.
A selection of views of the interior of our train is provided,
illustrating the high standard of finish attained. Photos are by Mick
Tester except where otherwise stated.
Club Class saloons
Above: The carpet, red seats, tables and
off-white ceiling all complement the beautiful sycamore veneer which was
an original feature of the Hastings DEMUs. This is our Club Class motor
coach, 60118 Tunbridge
Wells, seen in April 2012.
Above: Fast-forward two months, and as
can be seen the seats throughout motor coach Tunbridge
Wells have been re-trimmed in the same moquette. Photo by Andy
Armitage.
Above: The woodwork in the saloon of
motor coach Tunbridge Wells was re-varnished in
autumn 2012.
Above: Club Class seating in the “long”
(4 seating-bays) saloon of short-underframed trailer 60501. The distinctive “Trojan” moquette-design
was first applied to Hastings DEMUs during their first refurbishment in
the mid-1960s. As the next picture shows, in this vehicle we exchanged
it for red moquette in July 2012.
Above: All change! To give all parts of
our Club Class section a more uniform appearance, the seating in trailer
60501 was replaced in July 2012 with the red
seating as used in our Club Class motor coach; the antimacassars enhance
the smart appearance to the seating. Some of the better examples of
“Trojan”-upholstered seats from 60501 have
been cascaded into our Standard Class DEMU trailer 60529. Photo by Andy
Armitage.
Standard Class saloons
Above: The saloon of motor coach 60116 Mountfield, whose
sycamore veneer is covered with the blue melamine panelling fitted in the
1960s.
Above: The narrow bodywork of the
‘Hastings’ sets precluded double seats either side of the sliding doors
to vestibules; accordingly, every saloon has one extra-wide single seat
at each end. As can be seen, this example in trailer car 60529 has been freshly re-trimmed in “Trojan”
moquette.
Buffet-car interior
Above & below: The blue moquette with
which our ex-BIG Buffet car’s seats are trimmed is being renewed;
this end pair of bays was completed in time for our November 2012
railtour, with the remainder of the saloon due for completion by
Spring 2013. The comparison with the similar but worn moquette in the
foreground is evident.
Above & below: All seats and armrests
in the BIG buffet car were fully re-trimmed prior to our Weymouth Envoy railtour
in July 2013. Photos by Andy Armitage.
Above: Whilst taking a general tour of
the interior of our train, we felt it appropriate to show the servery
area of our Buffet car 69337; it is seen here
fully stocked and ready for service on our Canterbury Trail
railtour.
Other areas
Above: The 500hp power unit of motor
coach Tunbridge Wells. Nearest the camera is
the main generator; beyond it is the English Electric 4SRKT diesel
engine, and above it is the Napier MS100 turbo-charger. The walkway
towards the guard’s van (R) is afforded some protection from the very hot
exhaust-pipes by the grille seen at top right. Pink is for lubricating
oil, blue for coolant, and orange for electrical conduits.
Above: The guard’s van of motor
coach Mountfield. Visible are: an emergency
coupler, a fire-extinguisher, track circuit operating clips, and an
access-ramp for the assistance of wheelchairs, trolleys et cetera. The
orange box contains OTMR equipment.
Above & Below: In the trailer
vestibules, looking towards the adjacent motor-coach saloons.
Above: In 60501, looking past
the toilets and into the adjacent Club Class motor coach, Tunbridge Wells. Below: In 60529, looking towards motor coach Mountfield.