to any other narrow gauge railway. Almost 70 years later, the design was used as the basis for a new rake of carriages built by the Ffestiniog – testament to the excellence of the original design. The body for coach 17 was built in 1911, by local firm Shapland and Petter, and mounted on a steel underframe constructed by the railway in its own workshops at Pilton. Marginally longer than the earlier coaches, it contained both smoking and non-smoking accommodation for first and third class passengers, as well as the brake van space. Goods stock The Southern Railway introduced several new items of goods stock, and also purchased two ex-War Department travelling cranes for the line. Goods-only trains were a rarity, and the usual practice was to attach goods wagons to any scheduled passenger services. Whilst the shunting of wagons at intermediate stations no doubt added to the interest of the tourist and occasional traveller, it also added marginally to the journey time. The open goods wagons were originally delivered with a single top-hung side door on each side, but these proved inefficient, and all were eventually converted to side hung double doors. By 1907, most had been fitted with tarpaulin rails. The goods vans used the same underframe, and were fitted with double sliding doors on each side. The bogie open doors were also originally top-hung, but converted by the railway at Pilton. Wagon No. 19 was originally used by the contractors. After the railway opened, it was modified and entered revenue service in 1900. At only it was used often in preference to an wagon as it reduced the overall weight of a train. Van 23 – partially restored but now being prepared (2019) for service at Woody Bay – was built at Pilton by the L&B. Unlike all other L&B stock, its underframe was entirely made of wood. The restored van will have a steel underframe clad in wood. The travelling cranes were ex-WD stock, and fitted with outriggers, rated at with a radius, at . Intended as recovery cranes in the event of a derailment, neither saw much use. One crane, with its match truck, was kept in the long headshunt at Pilton, the other was put to use in Lynton goods yard. The 1927 bogie goods vans were originally fitted with heavy diagonal wooden cross braces at each end, but these were later replaced with