CL Coach E43024
CL Coach 43024
The CL coaches were built in a limited run of 50 for the Eastern region. There are now 8 left in preservation. They started their working life on branch lines such as Cambridge to Bury and Marks Tey to Haverhill and Bury as well as local commuter services between London and Ipswich. They also served the Kings Cross outer suburban services to Royston and Cambridge. They began to be scrapped from 1965 onwards due to the introduction of DMUs and EMUs. The survivors were sent to Kings Cross in the early 70s as the York Road and Hotel curves could not accommodate longer framed stock. DMUs were used however their insufficient power and seating capacity meant that they weren’t suited for peak service traffic. We can’t find much information about 43024 specifically, however, we know she was used at Kings Cross due to her being in service until 1976/77.
Built: Doncaster 1954
Length: 56′ 11″
Weight: 29 tons
Seating:
8 compartments
42 Standard
19 First
Information and restoration updates
This coach is the newest acquisition of the museum. We aim to fully restore it to running condition. If you can help in any way either by volunteering or by making a donation this would be appreciated.
Any information or photos of CLs in service would be greatly appreciated if you have them. Please email any to marketing@earm.co.uk
What is a Composite Lavatory coach?
MK1 Composite lavatories have both first and standard class seating as well as toilets. The layout of this coach is unique compared to other Mark 1 coach types as there is a corridor along the coach however there is no walkway past the toilets that are positioned halfway through the coach, splitting it in two halves. It is a suburban coach which means there is no gangway connection to allow access to adjacent coaches
Preservation of E43024
In 1977, the coach was moved to the Strathspey railway at Aviemore, Scotland and was used up until the mid 90s when it became surplus to their requirements. It was stored outside until 2016 and has been undercover since. We bought the coach, and it was transported to the museum in July 2025.
Why did we buy the CL?
As a museum we had 4 Mark 1 coaches, an SK, BCK, TSO and BS. The TSO is currently used as seating for our cafe, and the SK and BCK make up our mainline set. This leaves the BS as a spare coach which doesn’t really fit with the rest of our collection. The BS is a suburban coach so with the CL we can have a suburban coaching set. This will take some of the strain off our current running coaches and allow us to portray coaches from two different time periods and types of route.
What is our plan for the CL?
We plan to restore the coach to a serviceable condition so she can run with our BS. The BS is currently in the restoration shed having a new paint job after we completed some minor metalwork repairs. Both coaches will be painted in Rail Blue to portray a suburban set from the 1970s. The coach needs extensive metalwork repairs as well as interior repairs. The coach has unfortunately succumbed to the usual Mark 1 corrosion around the windows and side skirts. The interior woodwork is both sun and water damaged in places, therefore most of it will be removed to be refinished before reinstalling. Some framing and panelling will need to be replaced; however, we will salvage as much as we can to keep the coach as original as possible. The coach will also need to be completely reupholstered as we suspect the moquette is original and is therefore a bit threadbare and faded. New lino will also need to be laid as the existing lino is crumbling.
WE NEED YOUR HELP
The Restoration project is run by Volunteers at the East Anglian Railway Museum and funded by donations, if you can help in any way either by Volunteering or making a donation this would be appreciated. Please see the donation details below or the volunteering page here
CL Coach Donations
The East Anglian Museum is a registered Charity, without our volunteers and donations we would not be able to operate, If you would like to donate to the restoration fund for the E43024 please see the details below, If using paypal please indicate (E43024)
GiftAid
Gift Aid is a simple way to increase the value of your donation to the Museum by 25% – at no extra cost to you.
If donating online please choose the GiftAid option when checking out and we will do the rest.
Please gift aid if you can by completing the form here and email to reception@earm.co.uk)
You can still donate to us with a cheque. They need to be made payable to ‘East Anglian Railway Museum’ (not ‘EARM’) with reference “ E43042” on the back. Please send cheques to the E43024 Restoration Appeal, East Anglian Railway Museum, Chappel & Wakes Colne Station, Station Road, Wakes Colne, Essex, CO6 2DS. If you would like a receipt, please include a SAE.
Larger donations can be made via bank transfer. Please email reception@earm.co.uk or click on Contact Us for further details