Replica of Liverpool & Manchester Railway 2nd class open-topped railway carriage, 1930 (replica)

Replica railway carriage, four wheeled, open-topped with 3 compartments, 2nd Class, Liverpool & Manchester Railway, based on design of 1834, replica built in 1930. Length over buffers: 18' 10"; width: 6' 1"

After opening in 1830, the Liverpool & Manchester Railway's operated first- and second-class passenger carriage fleets. The original second-class carriages featured three open-topped compartments and featured reversible seating with moveable backs for 24 passengers.

These carriages were used on services where stops could be made by request. From August 1831, canvas and wooden roofs were fitted to reduce the problem of cinders burning passengers' clothes, while in 1833 they were modified with sprung buffing equipment to improve the ride.

In 1839, a 'third-class' was proposed as a result of neighbouring railway companies had adopted the practice of providing cheap stopping trains. There was an initial belief that its provision would take traffic from the existing services - particularly first-class - and the principle was not adopted. However, the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway's connection with the Manchester & Leeds Railway at Hunt's Bank in 1844 prompted a rethink. Although initially reluctant, the board resolved to provide a new fleet of enclosed second-class carriages, and the existing fleet was relegated to third-class stopping services.

This replica is one of a series of carriages built by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway's Derby Works to commemorate the centenary of the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1930.