Drawing room (Themiclesian railway)

Drawing room
National Rail /2 drawing room car interior
Manufacturer	LTCW National Rail
Constructed	MTO: 1858 – 1910 NR/2: 1910 – 13 NR/3: 1919 – 37 NR/5: 1956 – 64 NR/6: 1992 – 94
Number built	approx. 190
Capacity	Early: 20 – 30
Operator(s)	National & Maritime Themiclesian Northern
Specifications
Car length	60 ft (wood-body) 75 ft (NR/2) 85 ft (NR/3, /5, /6)
Width	10 ft 10 ft 6 in (NR)
Height	14 ft (NR/2, /3, /5) 14 ft 6 in (NR/6)
Entry	2 steps (NR/2, /3, /5) level (NR/6)
Doors	2
Bogies	3-axle (NR/2, /3) 2-axle (NR/5, /6)
Braking system(s)	Air
Coupling system	Knuckle
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1.435 m)

A drawing room car is a standard carriage type found on many Themiclesian railways, commonly as part of a first class service. It was introduced in the mid-1800s and, under National Rail, replaced compartment coaches in that class. It is characterized by plush seats in a 1+1 configuration along the length of the carriage and typically contained amenities like smoking rooms, air conditioning, and service.

History

While early coaches in Themiclesia up to about 1880 were usually in the compartment style, Lower Themiclesia Coach Works introduced and popularized a "drawing room car" styled after drawing rooms in grand houses, typically used for formal reception of guests. LTCW's early works drew from saloon cars typically used by dignitaries and railway directors but came to adapt elements of the drawing room that suggested of conviviality, which the manufacturer found enclosed compartments, often awkwardly shared with strangers, lacked.

The earliest drawing room cars were often used as chartered vehicles, much as saloon cars were, and not all railways distinguished between them. In the 1870s, drawing room cars became increasingly common over first-class compartment cars manufactured by other coachmakers. The layout enabled attendants to provide services for all passengers in the coach, which would be impossible with compartment-style coaches. Railway historian Martin Pik said that "the drawing room was as much travelling accommodation as a service that mimicked grand, stationary homes."

National Rail in 1913 ordered 20 drawing rooms from LTCW to replace its ageing rolling stock and to fulfil its legal obligation to provide three classes of service on all its main lines. This fleet of 20, built to Series 2 specifications, became the first iteration born of a standardized pattern of drawing room cars, in contrast with earlier examples that were more elaborate with unique artwork. In the 1920s, National Rail moved towards an all-steel fleet on its express trains, now called Series 3. As Series 4 and 4b were manufactured during wartime and the reconstruction era, drawing rooms were not manufactured.

The drawing room was revived with Series 5 coaches that appeared in 1956. A total of 25 were manufactured between 1956 and 1961. However, first-class travel became increasingly unpopular over the 1960s due to competition from road and air travel. By 1963, first-class services were running at a loss, with the exception of "four or five routes" according to National Rail's reports. In 1970, the law was amended to allow National Rail to offer and price its services with fewer regulations, resulting in the withdrawal of most first-class carriages from service. Many drawing room cars were either retired to charter service or scrapped, with the view of abolishing first class.

The surviving drawing rooms continued in revenue service on the few routes where they remained profitable in the 70s and 80s. They were refurbished at least twice to update their interiors, which were ageing compared to newer coaches in the Series 5b and 5c iterations.

Between 1992 and 1994, National Rail purchased six new drawing rooms built to its newer Series 6 standards. These coaches were the first to deviate from the accustomed layout in over 70 years, comprising of two compartments and a shorter lounge, seating 24.