Type
K08 Composite Compartment Coach
Designed
by Andreas Lenusahr
Rebuilt
in 1897 by RSR Works, Bevice-Akohniçe, Ruhnia
The
carriage policy of the RSR regarding branch line and local stock was,
to its supporters, thrifty and, to its detractors, stingy. By mounting
carriages on eight wheels it was possible to reduce both the tare
weight per passenger and the number of wheels and axleboxes to be
installed and maintained. To this end, Lenusahr
combined compartments from older six-wheeled stock on a longer
underframe, retaining as far as possible the upholstery and other
interior fittings. Steam heating was added from 1900 onwards. Gas
lighting was kept until the early 1930s, being finally banned from all
RSR and RK rolling stock as a
result of the disastrous 1928 Charfield accident in England. An
incidental
benefit of the rebuild, an improved ride, was a bonus that one could
hardly begrudge the passengers. In the event, these coaches were the
mainstay of local services well into the 1950s, their last turn of duty
being between Nadskehla and Čdelectu.
Text and image ©
Norman Clubb 2011