Churchill's wartime train carriage restored in Devon
A luxury railway carriage used on the train that carried Winston Churchill during World War Two has undergone restoration work in Devon.The Pullman coach, named Lydia and originally built in 1925, has been in the workshop at the South Devon Railway in Buckfastleigh after being bought by a private owner.Alasdair Page, customer experience manager at the heritage railway, said the carriage was "Winston Churchill's favourite" and was chosen by Churchill himself to be part of his train during the war.He said the carriage, which was also part of Churchill's funeral train, would be staying at the South Devon Railway.
"This carriage was used by Churchill and [US President Dwight D "Ike"] Eisenhower for the D-Day preparations, which included travelling down to the West Country," he said.
Mr Page added a lot of the restoration work focused on replacing brass fittings which were stolen a few years ago.He said: "All the light fittings, all the table lamps, the door hinges, the handles… everything that was brass and shiny was unfortunately stolen."William Derbyshire, the carriage and wagon manager at South Devon Railway, said it had been fantastic to get the chance to work on such a "prestigious vehicle".He said: "We've had to borrow bits off other Pullman carriages to get them replicated. We've had to make up some bits in our own workshop."
Lydia was used during the state funeral of Winston Churchill in 1965, when his coffin was transported by train out of London to Oxfordshire where he was buried.Mr Page said: "This would have been one of the carriages that travelled behind the coffin."He said the carriage would be staying at the South Devon Railway for the "foreseeable future" and would be used on their trains for afternoon teas, lunches and themed evenings.
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