Inspection saloon No. 975025 Caroline posing at York with Type 3 No. 37418 An Comunn Gaidhealach providing the power.
UNLESS STATED, ALL PHOTOS TAKEN ON SEPTEMBER 14 BY PAUL BICKERDYKE
INSPECTION saloon No. 975025 Caroline is a familiar sight around the country, from the tip of Cornwall to the north of Scotland, as it performs a range of duties on behalf of Network Rail – almost always these days accompanied by a Class 37 as traction.
Besides its routine duties, the saloon has been host to some famous guests over the years – most notably Prince Charles and Princess Diana as they set off on the first leg of their honeymoon from Waterloo to Romsey on July 29, 1981, while on May 28, 1982 it carried Pope John Paul II from Gatwick to Victoria at the start of his visit to the UK. It also formed the first official passenger train into the Channel Tunnel on October 22, 1992, when it took a party of VIPs from Waterloo International propelled by ‘ED’ No. 73112 University of Kent.
Back then No. 975025 was the Southern Region general manager’s saloon, having been converted in 1969 from redundant 1958built Class 203 trailer restaurant buffet car No. S60755 ( from set No. 1031). Being built to the narrow-bodied ‘Hastings Gauge’ meant that it could go just about everywhere on the network.
Buffet conversion
When first converted, it was fitted with standard Southern Region 27-way jumper cables, meaning it could operate in multiple with a Class 33, 73 or most EMUs. The saloon also had third-rail shoes and a two-character headcode box below the middle window on each end.
At Privatisation, the saloon passed to VSOE Ltd but saw no further use until sold on to Serco Railtest in 2003. It was overhauled at the RTC in Derby, then run by Fragonset Rail, and named after RTC employee Caroline Julie Mayo, who sadly passed away in 2019. The overhaul saw the saloon painted Southern green with full yellow ends.
Ownership passed to Network Rail in 2006, and 2008 saw a more extensive rebuild done by RVEL (now Loram) at Derby, which saw the headcode box plated over and the jumper cables and third-rail shoes removed – meaning it then needed to work with an ETH-fitted, ‘blue-star’ multiple-working loco. It was also repainted into a brighter green known as Viridian, but this was changed to Brunswick green in 2015, which it carries now.