LAVISHLY finished in satin wood and with a sumptuous silk-lined interior, the London and North Western Railway Carriage was undoubtedly Queen Victoria's favourite form of luxury transport.

But 100 years after the death of Britain's longest-reigning monarch, the ravages of time have taken their toll on her last surviving royal carriage.

Now, in a bid to save one of the world's most important railway treasures, the National Railway Museum at York is looking for sponsors to help preserve it.

Victoria's saloon, which she last used in November 1900 to travel from Balmoral to Windsor with her daughter, Princess Beatrice, is the main feature of the museum's Palaces on Wheels exhibition of royal carriages.

The museum is looking for sponsors to get the £50,000 conservation project under way as soon as possible.

Museum head Andrew Scott said: "Along with icons like Mallard and Rocket, this carriage is also one of the most popular and well-known vehicles in the world.

"But the rigours of time, humidity and light levels needed to keep the saloon on public display, have taken their toll. More studies are needed, but we estimate that the work is likely to cost at least £50,000."

Many of the delicate textiles and materials chosen personally by the monarch are in serious need of repair, despite the museum imposing a virtual ban on access to the interior.

The Queen paid £800 towards the building costs of the vehicle, which contained her day and night apartments and accommodation for her ladies-in-waiting and her manservant.

Independent conservator Anne Cook, a specialist in period interiors, has been assessing its condition, and last week handed the museum an initial report on her findings.

She said: "For a 130-year-old vehicle, furnished largely with the most delicate materials available, much of Queen Victoria's saloon is still remarkably well preserved."

The carriage was withdrawn from service in 1902 and preserved by the railway company at Wolverton Works. It was moved to the British Transport Commission at Clapham in the early 1950s, and transferred to York in 1975