Heritage reproduction carpet laid in AL1040

A rewarding milestone today with the installation of carpet in AL1040 completed. And doesn’t it look magnificent! This is a major achievement for project lead Bob Hall, who has been restoring this carriage at Canberra Railway Museum for 24 years! 

Built in 1901 in Sydney, AL1040 operated for several decades as a sleeping carriage, before being converted to a travelling dental clinic. Many of the internal fittings were removed in this conversion. Bob has put in thousands of hours rebuilding seats, the replica bunks and researching the fittings that once graced this beautiful Pullman style carriage.

The carpet is a heritage reproduction, produced in a small run for this project and funded by a generous donor. The colours and patterns are wonderful. Congratulations to Bob and his helpers for all their dedication to getting the restoration to this stage. While there is more work still to go, the carpet has made an enormous difference and invokes the luxury that was once a feature of travelling in a Pullman carriage.

If you would like to be one of the first to visit and enjoy the new carpet, visit the Museum and you never know, Bob might be one of the guides and can give you a guided tour!