Irene, also known as No. 7, is a Wisbech and Upwell bogie coach, currently preserved by the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway Society. In an annual, she was described as being Henrietta's only surviving sister, with a noticeable difference of being a bogie coach whereas Henrietta is a 4-wheeled coach. From the beginning, the Wisbech and Upwell used its own special passenger stock. Initially, only four-wheelers were used, but bogie coaches were introduced in 1884. The coaches had balconies at each end and a drawbridge type gangway between coaches. Each balcony had an emergency hand-brake wheel. The coaches looked squat and low-lying due to the need to handle raised track and the absence of platforms at some of the depots. All the four-wheeled coaches were scrapped by 1948, but the bogie coaches survived into British Railways.
Appearances[]
Companion volumes[]
- 1988 - Annual (mentioned in intro and Henrietta's biography)
- 2005 - Sodor: Reading Between the Lines (mentioned)
Trivia[]
- W&U Tramway No. 8 appeared in the 1953 British film, The Titfield Thunderbolt, being pulled by a GWR 1400 class (Oliver's basis). It was later scrapped due to a misunderstanding on 9th March 1957. [1]
Gallery[]
