About the Barry Railway Carriage Trust
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Our aim is to get Barry Railway carriage 163 running again on the Severn Valley Railway, in time for its 125th Birthday in 2020. We are based at Hampton Loade Station where we have a restoration base, workshop and sales shop. Carriage 163 was saved for restoration in 1992 and work progressed for several years under the direction of Dave Flavell, project coordinator. The Barry Coach Fund was later formed and more progress made including mounting the coach onto a replacement underframe in 2003.
By 2008 work on the coach had slowed and there were only a handful of volunteers working on the coach in the open - with no significant fundraising income. Dave Flavell enlisted Dewi Jones and Graham Ward to get together with the aim of forming a Trust to help move things along, with the ultimate aim of becoming a Charity. Duly on 24th October 2009 the Barry Railway Carriage Trust was born. We had no money and progress was slow until funds started to be raised. Ownership of carriage 163 was transferred at this time from the original Barry Coach Fund, with a small handover ceremony taking place in 2010.
We are still working towards the aim of becoming a Charity and have made several steps towards this goal in recent years. Membership numbers are small but slowly growing and awareness of our project has been boosted by our presence on the internet with a Facebook Page launched in 2013 and this website launched in 2014. We have been able to raise sufficient funds in recent years to enable use of a contractor for some work in 2015 meaning progress on 163 has been significantly faster than previously.
The trustees are custodians of GWR Tool Van 66, owned by the GWR 813 Preservation Fund. This vehicle is on loan to us for use as a sales shop which raises a sizeable proportion of the funds required to carry out restoration work on 163. In return for the use of van 66 (which was in a poor state of repair) we are providing most of the labour for its restoration with materials provided by the GWR 813 Preservation Fund. So far the roof has been made water tight, both sides have been re-planked and the interior considerably refurbished.
We continue with the restoration of carriage 163 which is now feeling the effects of being out in the open for more than twenty years. Thankfully the loan of two tarpaulins from the Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust in 2014 has meant the coach has spent the last two winters with some protection from the weather. We need to raise the funds to complete the restoration as soon as possible so we don't end up restoring those parts which have already been restored. So far we have raised just under half of the money we think we are likely to need to complete the restoration, but the more time elapses the greater the cost will be.
Our mission statement is to advance the education of the public in the former Welsh Railways or the constituent companies of the Great Western Railway during the 19th and early 20th Century by providing appropriate vehicles of rolling stock from this era for the public to view and travel in or behind, primarily on the Severn Valley Railway.
The trust has the following officers:
- Chairman - Dave Flavell
- Memberhip Secretary - Graham Ward
- Trustees - Dewi Jones, Pat Goss, Sam Lench
- Webmaster - Sam Lench
- Sales - Maria Hawkins
- Fundraiser - Vacant
Membership of the Barry Railway Carriage Trust is open to all. Please view our how to help page for details or to download our membership form please click on the icon below:
 BRCT Membership Form (PDF 219kb)
The BRCT is a member of the Heritage Railway Association.
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