Re: Big 4 Station

One train I used to ride in the early 1960s was the Newcastle/York to Bournemouth via the former Great Central; green coaches were usually added south from Sheffield. The Bradford Forster Square to Paignton "Devonian" usually had WR chocolate & cream coaches.

I think that both the ER and SR provided the stock for the Bournemouth-Newcastle, so that while the up train might be green stock, the corresponding down service would be maroon, and vice-versa the next day. I have seen videos of this train at both Nottingham Victoria and Leicester Central and the practice certainly lasted into the diesel era, with Brush Type 4s. The SR also met the ER in a slightly different sense with the Cliffe-Uddingston cement train which ran up the ECML. It was usually EE4 (class 40) hauled north of York, but had either one or two BRCW Type 2s (class 26/27) between Cliffe and York.

Ooops, sorry. I now realise that the original question mentioned LNER days. I must read posts more carefully.

And that last line should read one or two BRCW Type 3s (class 33) between Cliffe and York.

I shall now seek medical advice.

Take a look at

It describes some of the long cross-country services operating in 1935, including the two I mentioned. It was possible in summer to travel from Aberdeen to Penzance without change of carriage! And Southern coaches could be seen in Newcastle.

Thank you all for the info, it appears that adding the Southern coaches to an LNER rake or attaching an LNER loco to a through rake of Southern coaches is the way to go.

Bob

wrote

(As you point out in a subsequent post, it was a 33 or two). What route did this take round London - was it WLL, NLL, and North London Incline to the ECML? And why did it go up the ECML - wouldn't the WCML have been a better route?

Peter

Route around London was as you suggest. I suspect routeing via ECML was because of easier gradients, and also because , at the time, the WCML was subject to a lot of disruption due to upgrading works (no change there ,then..) Brian

On Tue, 22 Mar 2005 07:28:08 GMT someone who may be "Bob Heath" wrote this:-

I have not followed the whole thread, so forgive me if this repeats what someone has said.

As well as London there may be two other places to consider. Parts of the GW/GC Joint Line area, plus Banbury, may have seen through SR coaches, while having regular LNER services.

While Bath Green Park did not see many LNER locomotives and coaches these locomotives did appear from time to time. There was a train (Cleethorps to Exemouth from memory) that was usually formed of LNER stock in BR days. This went down the S&D line to Templecombe and then joined the SR.

The routing of this service was via the widened lines as I remember seeing the 33's appear out of platform 16 at Kings Cross on their northbound journey.

Ian Robinson