Starting in the mid 1960's Carltons and Raleighs used the same serial numbers. Everyone, please use http://www.retroraleighs.com to date your Carlton or Raleigh frameset. Sheldon, can you add the 1974 & beyond build facilities to the http://www.retroraleighs.com database ?? "W" isn't the only raleigh build facility, there were something like 6 of them, "SB" which is Ilkeston, "N" which is nottingham, etc.
The Raleigh Pro corresponds to the Giro D'Italia in Carlton terms. Both would have victor fastback seatstays and Italianesque lugs.
The Carlton Pro started out with normal wrap-up-but-not-over seat stays, but at some point adopted the Victor fastback seatstays. I am intrigued by the Carlton pro on wool jersey because the fastback attachment is associated with a different lugset, indicating that the fastback is just a piece of reinforcing metal brazed up against the the lug.
http://www.wooljersey.com/
Here is a golden Carlton Pro on Ebay, 25.5", for a larger rider, A-framed serial number so it's a 1973 or a 1974, with a desirable "CC" carlton-cycles bottom bracket cutout. Weird thing is, that although the serial number and cutout suggest 1973/4, the decals are later 1977 reynolds decals :
Maybe the serial number, A9999, is a joke. My guess is that Carlton decided in late 1973 to restart the serial number at "A", and then after a few months they changed their mind and instituted the "W", "N", "SB", ..., build-facility serial numbers after they had already made and shipped a big batch of "A" framesets.
- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA