in 1968 the British Rail corporate Blue was introduced. Nicknamed "Bournemouth Blue" on the Southern, it trickled down and was used on many of the 205's & 207's.
When the units were refurbished with the blue, the flooring was changed from grey to blue. This shot is of 60808 from 1109
Here is another shot of the well worn blue moquette of 60808. Another of the mid life refurbishment changes which happened at this time was the replacement of the lights, with tungsten bulbs replaced by strip lights and the end panels were covered in formica
When NSE came into being many of the units were reupholstered with a new variant of blue. All the units which ran into the 90's received such a revamp and the units preserved today had this seating material when withdrawn.
DEMU Interiors, Part One
It's presumed that all DEMU's had the Trojan Moquette seating fabric from new and then the later corporate blue which was introduced in 1968.
This is not entirely true however, as some of the first 6S Hastings units had a red Moquette in standard class and green in first. Photographs of these are very rare but we have managed to track down a few
Heres a comparison to the top photo.This is the DMBS of 1007 not long before withdrawal in 1986. The end panels have had the ususal BR refurb by having white formica stuck over them, it also shows the standard Trojan Moquette which the Hastings Units had until withdrawn.
Another early modification which can easily be seen is the headboards on top of the seats.
Image by Selsdon Jc
This is the most radical of the refurbs. It is 1111 or 205205 as it is better known.
All the wooden paneling was replaced by plastic and the ceiling was lowered. Brand new seating was added with the luggage racks mounted above the windows instead of the seats.
Also another radical modification was the addition of corridor connections between the cars enabling people to walk through the train, the first time in a thumper since the Hastings units.
Part Two is about the preserved vehicles, for more information click here
All Image on this page unless otherwise stated are thanks to Andy Grant please have a look at his Flickr page
1003 never recived its refurb and it retained its orignal wood paneled vaneer right up until it was withdrawn
Image by Andy Grant
The corridor of a Hastings First from 1003
image by Andy Grant
Looking down the first class corridor in a 207, the first compartment is on the left but just looking through the connecting door some of the Trojan can be glimpsed.
Andy had the foresight to photograph everything. The 207's didn't have a kitchen sink - but he settled for the next best thing
The first class compartment on a Hastings 6S vehicle showing the experimental green moquette
Image from the Michael Pannell Collection
A rare shot of the red moquette this time on an early 2H
Image thanks to Andy Grant
The first's were upholstered with the black/grey check and as the 3D's were a little narrower than normal, like the Hastings Units, the firsts were just three seats across instead of the usual four.
Just on the right hand side the door leading through to the second class compartment can just be seen
This is a saloon of a 6S in the red Moquette. Looking at the door it seems as if a mirror has been placed in the doorway to give the impression the entire vehicle has been fitted out the same.
Image from the Michael Pannell Collection
The Trojan Moquette became the standard material to use. Here are a few pics by Andy Grant showing the interior of a 3D or 207
Taken in the 3D trailer, the door to the first class corridor can clearly be seen on this shot.
This can still be experienced today and the Spa Valley Railway have spent a small fortune restoring the interior of their unit to look exactly like this, albeit a considerably bit cleaner.