Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway 'Silver Jubilee'

The Silver Jubilee railcar was a set of coaches which first appeared in an embryonic stage in September 1976 as a single coach fitted with the Ford D engine and Linde transmission formerly in Shelagh of Eskdale, and centreless bogies. The three-car unit was named and launched in May 1977 at the inauguration of the railway's radio control system, the extra coaches being a driving trailer with air throttle controls at the Ravenglass end and a piped centre coach, which was later modified as a saloon for wheelchair access. The original livery was silver with the official Queens Silver Jubilee vinyl badges used on buses, and later a blue line.
During its operating lifetime, the set was first used on a shuttle service from Ravenglass to the newly opened Muncaster Mill, and then largely on the first morning round trip and "overnight" trains, the latter throughout the winter. Although geared for speed a timed run, in special conditions in November 1979, of 17 mins from Dalegarth to Ravenglass could not break the end-to-end line speed record held by ICL No. 1, from forty years before.
First the original powercar in 1983 and then in early 1984 both end driving coaches were fitted with automatic gearboxes with electric direction control and air for throttle. In 1984 the unit went to the Liverpool Garden Festival Railway, with an extra semi-open coach added in the middle of the formation. For this event it carried the BR InterCity Executive livery, the first vehicles in the country to do so after the concept coach, using the official BR paint. In subsequent years this livery saw detail changes as the main line HST livery evolved.
After the school train, overnight and winter services stopped in 2001, Silver Jubilee lost its particular role. Latterly repainted in First Group 'Barbie' blue and pink/white striped livery, it was finally withdrawn after a trial visit as a 2 car unit to the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway in 2003, and has now been completely converted into locomotive hauled coaching stock. The centre saloon remains disabled saloon number 123, the centre semi-open number 126 was rebuilt to a disabled saloon with new structure under the old roof, the driving trailer is now saloon 136 and the driving car has been converted into disabled saloon 137.
Category:Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
Category:Built in 1976
Category:Miniature locomotives
Category:Diesel locomotives
Category:Locomotives
Category:Minimum Gauge
Category:United Kingdom
Category:15-inch gauge
Category:Diesel trainsets