3rd / 3rd Class Saloon F.30
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Second of the 1905 saloons, delivered from the Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co., Ltd., of Saltley Works in Birmingham in 1905 with F.29, this saloon was laid out as two separate third class vestibules making it slightly shorter than the later two deliveries F.35 and F.36 which had first class areas.
Outshopped in purple lake livery with off-white panelling, it was identical to the other three of the same batch. It remained in this format until 1972 complete with its tramway style flip-over seating; at this time it had these replaced with raked fixed seating, bus-style windows and an all-over red livery.
It ran like this for many years, the maroon and cream scheme being applied in 1981 at the same time as F.29. Provisional plans were to include it as part of The Bar Set with F.31, F.32 and F.35 but these plans never reached fruition and it remained unaltered. The purple lake livery was applied in 1992.
Owing to the bus windows being retained this made for a rather unusual external appearance compared with other rolling stock. The last saloon to retain the bus windows, it was withdrawn in 1999 and stored for some time before a refit was undertaken, seeing it revert to the post-war livery
At this time the bus-style windows removed, the last of the saloons to be so treated. It re-entered traffic in this guise, without corridor connections, becoming part of the dining train in 2012 and dining seating and corridor connections were fitted at both ends; commonly it is at the rear of the train next to F.27 (ii).
It was refurbished as part of a rolling programme for the dining train and outshopped in purple lake in March of 2022 complete with torpedo roof ventilators as part of the ongoing commitment to reinstate historical features. Today it operates regularly as part of the dining train.
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F.30 on the bay platform at Port Erin Station in June 1989 in the later nationalisation livery without lining and lettering detail.
Stripped down as part of a major refit in November 2010 prior to becoming part of the new dining train at the start of 2013.
At Ellenbrook as part of an Inside Track Special in later guise, April 1996, with F.29 and was headed by No.11 Maitland.
On the bay Port Erin Station in July 1969 saloon F.30 still with its two drop-lights in the central compartments, lost in 1972.
Progress with the major refit seen in March 2011 with the bulkhead partition which was removed to allow dining seats to be added.
Castletown Station in July 1988 showing the marked difference in appearance in the middle of rake with F.10 on the left and F.25.
F.30 during a major refit in March 2011 prior to taking its place next to replica Empress Van F.27 (ii) as part of the dining train in 2013.
The utility brown livery applied to F.30 at Douglas Station in April 1950, note the two style of opening window on the saloon.
With No.10 G.H. Wood at Douglas Station in May 1993 showing unattractive appearance of bus windows in that particular livery.
On the bay Port Erin Station in July 1969 saloon F.30 still with its two drop-lights in the central compartments, lost in 1972.
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