Carriages - A 1304 Sleeper Car

	Class/No:	A 1872	Length:	56' 0"
	TMS Type/No:	A 1304	Clad:	Steel Clad
	Year:	1938	State:	Stored
	Builder:	NZR - Addington
	Distributed Load:		Tare:
	Notes:	1938 - 1975 NZR - Sleeper 1975 - 1987 Northerner - Sleeper 1987 - 19XX Steam Inc (stored) 19XX - 2005 Reid McNaught 2005 Feilding Steam & Rail
	Carriage Text:	ABL4 9-86, 31660 kg

This sleeper carriage worked on the Auckland to Wellington overnight Northerner Express. It was steam heated from a steam heat van towed directly behind the locomotive.
Passengers with a first class ticket could upgrade to a sleeper berth. There were two beds, one above the other. During the day they could be arranged into a large seat. Each berth had a hand basin, 230v socket, and mirror. The carriage had its own toilet and small kitchen.

This carriage was purchased by Reid McNaught and stored in the open at Steam Inc depot at Paekakariki. The outer steel sheeting had corroded badly in the salty air, to the point the windows could fall out. Internally the carriage is in good condition and only a small amount of fittings are missing. It was supplied without the high speed bogies, but will be converted back to the standard X25530 bogies when overhaul takes place.

	The Sleeper car was trucked from Steam Inc and we used our gantry to unload the truck and put the carriage back on track. Photo take before March 2002
	We are now storing under cover an ex-northerner Sleeper Carriage A1304. This carriage looks a bit rough from the outside but the inside is in good condition. These sleeper carriages are fitted with bunk beds. Photo take before March 2002
	As you can see the inside of the carriage has been preserved very well. This is the corridor that allows passengers to get to their cabins. Photo take before March 2002

	This photo shows a cabin setup for sleeping, the top bunk is missing its mattress. The cabin has a hand basin and low capacity 230 volt power point for shaving. Once the passengers woke they could enjoy a small meal, and watch the scenery go past. 31 March 2002
	The left photo shows the lights and call buttons for each bed. The photo on the right shows the storage space for luggage under the bottom bunk, and the ladder attached to the bed base. 31 March 2002
	The steel sides have been removed to assess the condition of the timbers. 10 September 2005
	Corridor. The windows were removed when the sides were taken off, as these held the windows in place. 10 September 2005
	A ladder was supplied to help passengers get up onto the top bunk. 10 September 2005
	These photos show either side of the sleeper carriage. 5 July 2008
	The kitchen. 5 July 2008

The early photos were taken by Stan Jenkins & Bryson Anderson.

Have a look at the A1304 restoration page to see what restoration and maintence has been completed since A1304 came to FDSRS.

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