At their January 2019 Board Meeting, Trustees agreed the next stage of the heritage carriages project and reaffirmed their 2016 decision to make carriage TK 3639, a toplight vehicle with a rich history as a passenger coach, an ambulance coach and a camp coach prior to its acquisition by the Trust.

This project will be the next in line after completion of coach BCK 6705 which is due to be finished during 2019. A small fund has already been established for TK 3639 and further fundraising will now be undertaken specifically for this vehicle.

A further major factor in reaching this decision was that it is the “next in line” preference of the Trust volunteers who work at Williton on carriage restoration and who have already cleared the coach and prepared the materials required for the initial phase of work.

As part of the overall project, the Trust will, during 2019, be undertaking a review of the remaining seven carriages at Williton to appraise their condition, scale and scope of work required and indicative costs with a view to a full report being presented to the Trust Board in early 2020.

The Trust is also very conscious that BCK 6705 and its successors will require future storage and covered accommodation for protection against the elements. Discussions will therefore take place with the PLC in relation to both short and longer term solutions.

Chris Austin Trust Chairman said:

“With BCK 6705 nearing completion, it was important that we reached a decision on the next vehicle to be restored. Volunteers have overwhelmingly identified TK 3639 as their preferred choice, a view that has been backed by the Board. We will now be taking this work forward was that the same time undertaking a review of the remaining vehicles so that we have a longer term plan in place with a clear focus for future fundraising activity”.