Heritage coach No. 23 (green 1920s WHR livery)

No. 23 was one of the first coaches used on the newly preserved FR in the 1950s, having been passed to the FR when the WHR closed. It is kept in a 1920s WHR green livery, although it was slightly reduced in height so it could run on the FR.

Recent work on no. 23 formed part of an extensive range of FR/WHR Heritage carriage projects funded by an anonymous donor.

Heritage coach No. 24

Heritage coach No. 24 (red NWNGR livery)

A replica of No. 23 was built at Boston Lodge following a generous donation. This was built to the original 1890s “Summer coach” design (i.e. not cut-down in height as No. 23 has been).

The FR also provides, from time to time, vehicles from its own heritage stock, many of which were indeed used on the old WHR. These have included both ‘bug boxes’ and bogie coaches.

New Third class saloons

There are three saloons (2040 to 2042) and one brake-saloon (2090) in the current fleet. These new WHR coaches are similar to recent FR coach designs, but are built to the WHR loading gauge and are nearly 40 feet long. The first batch was delivered in June 1997.

2040, 2041 and 2042 each seat 36 passengers with brake carriage no. 2090 seating 22 plus passengers in wheelchairs.

Three further saloons (2043, 2044 and 2045) are currently under construction at Boston Lodge to a similar but modified design.

FR coach 113 currently also runs on the WHR as an extra passenger vehicle. It was built by Carnforth Railway Services and finished at Boston Lodge and is painted in FR Red and Cream. It entered service on the WHR in 2003, following major interior work.

Third class semi-open coaches

The view from a semi-open coach

The WHR has 3 semi-open coaches, built to a similar corridor design and loading gauge of the saloons, but offering an open-air view of the scenery. They are numbered 2020-2022, the first semi-open was built by Winson Engineering (2020) and was delivered in 1997. Following the public popularity of this coach, a further 2 were built by Alan Keef Ltd and entered service in 2003.

First Class Coaches

First class ‘Pullman’ coach “Bodysgallen” No. 2115

This 20-seat Pullman-style coach first ran in 1998 and was also built by Winson Engineering. It has a luxury interior, made possible by sponsorship from Historic Houses Hotels Ltd and indeed its name – “Bodysgallen” – is one of their hotels near Llandudno.

Bike Wagons

Two of the eight ex South African Railways (SAR) ‘B’ wagons have been converted for use as bike-carrying wagons, one with each set of coaches. They carry special racks and allow the wider exploration of Snowdonia by bike/train.

Brake Vans

The luxurious interior of Pullman coach 2115

In 2003, the railway was twinned with the Sandstone Heritage Trust in South Africa and to mark the occasion they generously donated an ex-SAR brake van to the WHR. This has now been extensively restored by volunteers and entered service in June 2006. It is mainly used on freight trains, but saw use with passenger trains during the 2006 super power event.

No. 1001 is a small passenger brake originally supplied to the 2’6” gauge Chattenden and Upnor Railway in Kent. It was used on the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway in the 1960s, sold to the 2ft gauge South Tynedale Railway in 1989, where it was not used and was then bought for use on the WHR. It was regauged to 2ft and sports a livery similar to the newly built WHR coaches.