Travelling in style – an age of elegance
One of the first exhibits to arrive at The One:One Collection’s new home in Margate, Kent, arriving in March 2019, NER 305 offers a stunning glimpse into first-class travel during the golden age of steam.
The coach was built in 1903, and stepping inside transports you straight to the elegant Edwardian age – into an interior filled with plush armchairs, ornate marquetry and elaborate gas lamps – more like an upmarket hotel lounge than a train carriage!
It was used as an inspection coach, for officers of the railway to check the condition of the line. Although used for ‘official business’, it’s clear that comfort and enjoyment was the order of the day, with an on board kitchen catering for no-doubt hearty appetites.
NER 305 is what’s known as a Clerestory car – having a raised, glazed section running down the centre of the coach, and you can also see additional side windows which allowed a better view of the tracks. Restoration was undertaken by BREL York in 1973, then Didcot, Market Overton, Carnforth. It’s a unique example of its type, and The One:One Collection hopes to make it available for public viewing soon.