Gresley Brake Third Open BTO

A large legacy from the Estate of Keith Anthony Porter, a Society member of some years, has enabled the Society to purchase a Gresley Brake Third Open BTO. This coach was built for the LNER by Cravens in 1938 to diagram D196, a six-bay open saloon with 48 seats numbered 43556 and later E16631E. It requires complete restoration. The legacy will enable the coach to be restored at Ecclesbourne Valley Railway by LS engineering headed by Lee Sharpe. For the time being it is to remain at Epping & Ongar Railway until Lee has space in his workshop to do the work later in the year. This is another unique coach in preservation and is the final piece of the jigsaw to complete the LNER train of five coaches in crimson and cream. The other two coaches for the train, the TTO and the TK, still awaiting restoration, will hopefully benefit from being fast-tracked by outside contractors in the future. Obviously, to achieve this we require some large donations or legacies.