Genesis 4w - Metropolitan Railway Varnished Teak - Twin Pack E

To provide stock for the new extension to Aylesbury, the Metropolitan Railway ordered 32 four-wheeled carriages from Cravens, which entered service in 1892. Intended to serve both Aylesbury and Chesham, the eight-car rake was split into two sets of four, each comprising a 2nd Brake, 1st, 3rd, and 3rd Brake. The two sets were divided between the 3rd Brake and 2nd Brake, and all eight sets ran in the timetable until 1905, when they were sold on to the Weston, Clevedon & Portishead Railway and the Nidd Valley Railway. The remainder were retained by the Metropolitan as reserve stock.

The general finish of the stock was varnished teak bodies, with the solebars and headstocks painted to match and running gear below solebar level finished in black. On first-class vehicles, the upper section of the body above the waistline was white under varnish, resulting in a creamy finish. Mansell wheel centres were also painted to match. Roofs were painted in white or off-white, along with all roof furniture.

Body mouldings were generally picked out in gold or a straw yellow, apart from the first-class upper panels, which were outlined in a light blue with an even thinner vermilion lining. Where possible, carriage lettering denoting the number and legend was laid out symmetrically, with class markings central to the doors. The Metropolitan’s armorial device was either placed beneath the vehicle number or centrally under the company legend if that appeared on one waist panel.