Description

Pullman Car PEGASUS, built in 1951 for the famous Golden Arrow train, was the last of an established line of traditional Pullman Cars built at the Smethwick works of the Birmingham Carriage & Wagon Company. Complete with 14 dining seats and the unique Trianon Bar the coach represented in its day the height of luxury. After being withdrawn from traffic in 1972 PEGASUS languished for many years out of use and following purchase by its present owners was destined to be returned to main line running order in one of the most elaborate reconstruction projects ever undertaken.

The vehicle’s original wooden frame was replaced with a modern steel structure to make it compatible with the stringent safety standards of the day. A new interior design would ultimately be fitted whilst original brass embellishments would once more adorn the walls and ceilings that would turn the heads of many in the railway industry as for the first time a project of great historical significance met head on the needs for substantially safer railway carriage design. Despite these extensive works PEGASUS retained her outwards appearance and triumphantly returned to the main line in 2000.

This film documents the various stages of the reconstruction process. The high’s and lows of probably the most extensive railway carriage reconstruction ever undertaken are featured including workshop scenes and interviews with those at the heart of what became known as, The Pegasus Project.