GWR Clerestory Pack 1

Description

The clerestory bogie coaches that are the subject of these packs were built between 1893 and 1906 by the Great Western Railway. These coaches were designed by William Dean’s during his tenure Chief Mechanical Engineer of the GWR (1877-1902). Until 1892 much of his attention was taken up by managing the painful end of the GWR broad gauge, but when that was completed Dean became heavily involved in the efforts of the GWR to regain its predominant position among British railways,

Under Dean the GWR carriage department produced a great number of fine clerestory coaches, especially during the years from 1895 to 1904. Instantly recognizable by their classical ‘Dean’ clerestory outline these coaches became very much an integral part of the early twentieth-century GWR.

Dean retired in 1902, and from 1905 new elliptical roofed coaches designed by his successor G.J. Churchward began to supplant the traditional clerestories. However, until the 1920s  Dean’s clerestories could still regularly be seen on GWR express services, although from around 1930 they were increasingly relegated to secondary and local services. Much used as ‘strengtheners’ at busy times and for reliefs and extras they remained part of the GWR scene well into the 1930s and 1940s. During the thirties the clerestory windows were painted over and some brakes lost their guard’s lookouts. At the end of their careers some were rebuilt into parcels vans, departmental stock or camping coaches.