A REFURBISHED railway carriage will be on show to the public this weekend.
The National Railway Museum has completed works on Pullman carriage, Topaz, and it is now situated in the museum’s Great Hall.
Topaz will feature an explainer giving a detailed description of what it would have been like to travel in this carriage.
Work on the carriage has taken around six months and has seen protective layers on the carpets installed.
A protective layer is being placed on the original floors - manufactured by a specialist conservation floor company.
The carriage was built at Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Works Co. Ltd., Smethwick in 1913 and entered service with South Eastern and Chatham Railway in 1914.
It ran on services between London and the South Coast, on pre-war continental boat trains and the Bournemouth Belle. The carriage was withdrawn in 1960 and restored by the Pullman Car Company. During this restoration Topaz’s livery was reverted from umber and cream back to its original pr-1920s crimson.
Amy Banks, interpretation developer at the National Railway Museum, said: “It has been a labour of love to get Topaz ready but we are now looking forward to welcoming our visitors on board to experience the heyday of luxury rail travel.”
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