NER Autocar - restoration progress

This forum is for news and announcements concerning the LNER, or this website.

Moderators: 52D, Tom F, Rlangham, Atlantic 3279, Blink Bonny, Saint Johnstoun, richard

West_Stanley
LNER N2 0-6-2T
Posts: 54
Joined: Fri Nov 23, 2012 1:17 am

Re: NER Autocar - restoration progress

Post by West_Stanley »

Where did the autocoach come from and how did it survive into preservation? Does it have its original chassis and bogies? Is it the same type that was photographed at Ponteland?
User avatar
Autocar Publicity
NER C7 4-4-2
Posts: 847
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2009 1:36 pm
Location: Yorkshire

Re: NER Autocar - restoration progress

Post by Autocar Publicity »

The autocoach came to us from Levisham, the NE coach group on the NYMR kindly donated it to us. The chassis is 'original' - I don't know about Ponteland, if you can provide a photo or link, I or one of our members/supporters should be able to say.

Earlier posts in this thread have more details about the coach, as has Issue 7 (page 10) of our newsletter - http://www.electricautocar.co.uk/newsletter.html
West_Stanley
LNER N2 0-6-2T
Posts: 54
Joined: Fri Nov 23, 2012 1:17 am

Re: NER Autocar - restoration progress

Post by West_Stanley »

User avatar
Autocar Publicity
NER C7 4-4-2
Posts: 847
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2009 1:36 pm
Location: Yorkshire

Re: NER Autocar - restoration progress

Post by Autocar Publicity »

And 3453 emerged from the shed last Friday with a bit of shunting. These two photos are courtesy of Wendy Anderson.
Autocoach - 3rd October 2014 - ER1 (Wendy Anderson).jpg
Autocoach - 3rd October 2014 - ER2 (Wendy Anderson).jpg
As you can see, it's looking good. There's still lots to do (insert usual invitation for volunteers...) but the coach is certainly coming on. I wrote a short update for Moorslines with some more photos a few days ago, so NYMR members will be updated on the coach which for so many years was at Levisham. For our members, I plan to do the next newsletter later this month, with it arriving on doormats probably early November(ish). For this forum, I'll have a think about recent developments and do a more comprehensive update shortly.

If you would like to support this project and can't volunteer at Embsay or Loughborough, then financial contributions are always welcome, however you make them, also there's all sorts of 'odd little things' you can do, whether it's word of mouth publicity with your friends and family, bidding on any E-Bay items we're selling off or selling unwanted items and donating the proceeds to us (as above). Historical research could also be useful, though do talk to us first to ensure we don't duplicate effort.

Our thanks for the support forum members have already given and shown, it is much appreciated. One more effort and I hope in around 12 months, we'll have a 'new' Edwardian multiple unit...
User avatar
Blink Bonny
LNER A4 4-6-2 'Streak'
Posts: 3946
Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:21 pm
Location: The Midlands
Contact:

Re: NER Autocar - restoration progress

Post by Blink Bonny »

Looking good!
If I ain't here, I'm in Bilston, scoffing decent chips at last!!!!
User avatar
Rlangham
LNER P2 2-8-2
Posts: 916
Joined: Sat Sep 24, 2005 2:52 pm
Location: GWR Territory
Contact:

Re: NER Autocar - restoration progress

Post by Rlangham »

Awesome!
Author of 'The North Eastern Railway in the First World War' - now available in paperback!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/North-Eastern-R ... 781554552/

Happy to help with anything relating to the railways in the First World War, just ask
User avatar
Autocar Publicity
NER C7 4-4-2
Posts: 847
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2009 1:36 pm
Location: Yorkshire

Re: NER Autocar - restoration progress

Post by Autocar Publicity »

Thanks chaps!

The latest newsletter (no. 24) has just gone to press. The electronic copies should have been received this afternoon (and I know some have already been read!), hard copies, probably arriving mid-November depending on printing and posting. We were going to hold the newsletter a couple of weeks until the chassis was married to the powerunit and we had a photo of this, for the front cover, however, it looked like this may take a bit longer, so we decided to get the newsletter out. Maybe next issue we'll have a picture of the autocar being tested?

We've been talking a lot recently about the engineering and fund-raising, well, this newsletter explains most of it. There's the usual reports, a Q&A session with Stephen about the project running over budget and what we're planning to do, and, in the latest in the series of design perspectives, a look at the engine, the heart of the revived autocar.

I haven't forgotten I owe the forum a detailed update, but I'm in a little run of back to back exhibitions, so things are a bit busy right now. Too many 80 hour weeks!
User avatar
Autocar Publicity
NER C7 4-4-2
Posts: 847
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2009 1:36 pm
Location: Yorkshire

Re: NER Autocar - restoration progress

Post by Autocar Publicity »

I'm back! It really is frightening, the way time skips past. I log in and find the last post mentions the last newsletter, when I'm thinking about starting collation and production of the next issue next week... :oops:

Work on the autocoach has continued and the doors are now all attached and equipped with locks and handles. It is likely that this coach will become operational this year, though certain things (such as floor coverings and lining) will have to wait until the autocar is back at Embsay and operational.

Down at Loughborough, the engine housing assembly has left our unit for the last time and been attached to the chassis. This has now gone in the shed for various parts to be attached and/or connected. Hopefully, we'll be testing in a couple of months.

Sponsume has now finished but we're still welcoming donations and you'd still be eligible for 'donors' rewards'.

Now, a few photos, courtesy of Peter van Houten:
EH arr LGCR.jpg
EH craning.jpg
Chassis at LGCR.jpg
Chassis alongide OC.jpg
User avatar
Autocar Publicity
NER C7 4-4-2
Posts: 847
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2009 1:36 pm
Location: Yorkshire

Re: NER Autocar - restoration progress

Post by Autocar Publicity »

We now have a Facebook page courtesy of our Secretary. If you spend time there, we're at https://www.facebook.com/nerelectricaut ... =bookmarks - please 'like' us or share us or whatever else FB members do.

On the subject of social media, I did sign us up to Twitter last year, but more as a positioning move than anything else. (We're at https://twitter.com/1903_autocar and if you are a Twitter user, again, please show us your support).

Back in the 'real' world, on the autocoach, we've been working on replacement headstocks. Some seats have also gone in - I had hoped to take a few photos today but am recovering from this winter's bug and didn't make it in. I did manage to get some newsletter and other writing bits done though. All this experience at juggling and balancing for the newsletter, I'm going to have to run away to the circus...
User avatar
Autocar Publicity
NER C7 4-4-2
Posts: 847
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2009 1:36 pm
Location: Yorkshire

Re: NER Autocar - restoration progress

Post by Autocar Publicity »

Well, newsletter nearly ready, just needs the final touches next week.

Now, a puzzle over names:

We’ve always believed the autocars were called such after NER push-pull autotrains. But, having done a bit of reading, it appears push-pull/autotrains only began in (mid - late?) 1904... and on the GWR, was it not 1905 when the NER started running them?

I have a copy of an article 11th February 1904 which calls our vehicles autocars – which is a second piece of evidence suggesting that explanation cannot be correct. So where did the name come from? I've seen some contemporary sources refer to them as 'railmotor coaches' and/or 'Mr Worsdell's self-propelled coaches'. Some original plans refer to them as 'motor coaches', presumably following the pattern of the original Tyneside Electrics classification.

I could believe that ‘cars’ came from tram cars, as they did look very similar. But the ‘auto’ part?

Any ideas?
mick b
LNER A4 4-6-2 'Streak'
Posts: 3727
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 4:43 pm

Re: NER Autocar - restoration progress

Post by mick b »

Auto short for Automated meaning mechanised ?
User avatar
Autocar Publicity
NER C7 4-4-2
Posts: 847
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2009 1:36 pm
Location: Yorkshire

Re: NER Autocar - restoration progress

Post by Autocar Publicity »

It's been suggested this morning that auto in this context means 'self', therefore a car/carriage that moves by itself. Certainly similar to 'Mr W's self propelled carriages'. It's quite possible the term could have been something of an American term, possibly even the 'train station' of its day... :oops: :(
User avatar
richard
LNER A4 4-6-2 'Streak'
Posts: 3385
Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2005 5:11 pm
Location: Wichita Falls, Texas
Contact:

Re: NER Autocar - restoration progress

Post by richard »

In the US, "Autocar" was a company / brand name, but they made road vehicles.

Slightly pre-dates the NER vehicles: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autocar_Company
Richard Marsden
LNER Encyclopedia
User avatar
Autocar Publicity
NER C7 4-4-2
Posts: 847
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2009 1:36 pm
Location: Yorkshire

Re: NER Autocar - restoration progress

Post by Autocar Publicity »

I wonder if we could get sponsorship... Whenever I Google "Autocar" here, it wants to take me to a certain magazine's web-site.

Anyway, the newsletter's sent off to the printers and was e-mailed out this morning, so it should be in people's inboxes now and on their doormats in 2-3 weeks time. We've some articles already for next time, including a short piece proposing a [fairly convincing] theory explaining the name issue mentioned above. I'm quietly hopeful that by next time the Autocar will be living up to its name and we'll have some photos of it moving under its own power. No promises but fingers crossed...
User avatar
Autocar Publicity
NER C7 4-4-2
Posts: 847
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2009 1:36 pm
Location: Yorkshire

Re: NER Autocar - restoration progress

Post by Autocar Publicity »

The [hard copy] newsletter should be with members by now. (If not, let me know).

Four photos of the autocoach, showing some of the work done recently.
headstocks before.jpg
headstocks after.jpg
One end has been replaced (and after the photo was taken, I swapped camera for paintbrush and applied some primer). We hope a shunt this weekend will give us access to the other end to work on.
seats - first.jpg
seats - third.jpg
Most of the seats have been installed, these two frames show the first and a third class compartment.

Off camera, various pieces of beading have been cut for the interior, work on the door frames & locks has progressed and lots* of painting has been done. The stepboard for one side has been partially installed and primed. Work continues on the droplights, with good days and not so good days...**

* Lots and lots - some of our volunteers are dreaming of brushes and painting. I'd better not say what I dream of ...

** See the difference between activity and achievement - some days you do really well and some days Fate just is not smiling on you...
Post Reply