A new carriage has been signed off by the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway.
Ruth is the last carriage to arrive as part of a European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) project that started in 2016 and is the first of the La’al Ratty’s fleet to feature USB speakers.
Built by the engineering team at Ffestiniog Railway Company in Wales, Ruth is a semi-enclosed directors’ bespoke carriage.
With extra headroom, comfortable padded seats inside for eight people in two separate compartments and semi-open ‘balcony’ seating with a roof for two on each end, it has sliding partition panels in the middle splitting the space into two separate internal compartments or it can be hired as a whole carriage for up to 12 people.
The carriage has been named in memory of the Honourable Mrs Ruth Adorian.
Georgina Townsend, daughter of Mrs Adorian, said: “My mother was the youngest daughter of Lord Wakefield of Kendal and a director of Lake District Estates for over 50 years. She was devoted to serving all the many facets of the company and would have been absolutely delighted with ‘Ruth’ and very proud of the high standards of craftsmanship it represents.”
The elegant new carriage is wheelchair accessible with a fold down table providing a flexible space inside each compartment.
Mrs Adorian’s son James Clarkson-Webb, said: “Fighting Motor Neurone Disease for the last 12 years of her life she was particularly keen on incorporating wheelchair accessibility wherever possible, and this carriage is a fitting tribute to the ongoing legacy which she leaves behind.”
Rachel Bell, head of marketing and business development Lake District Estates, added: “This marks a milestone in our carriage upgrade programme and we look forward to welcoming ‘Ruth’ to the Railway in the Lake District.”
Once Ruth has undergone extensive safety testing on the line at Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway she will be available to book in the Spring season 2022.
