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We gave the Pullman trains two chapters in "LNER Passenger Trains & Formations, The Principal Services", covering all the workings in LNER and BR days. They were among the most photographed of all the passenger trains in the UK and many railways books are so full of them that you might imagine that they were a frequent service with everything else fitting in between! OK, we've talked elsewhere about how misrepresentative railway photography can be but it's also fair to say that the Pullman service was changed many times and the account we offered ended up with a quite a few illustrations from rather a large heap!

So here are some more with fresh insights. The "Queen of Scots" is under its own heading, here's a selection for the other Pullman:

West Riding Pullman - Yorkshire Pullman

In brief, this service was started in 1925 as the "West Riding Pullman", its route was revised several times and given a new name in 1935 as the "Yorkshire Pullman" (see LPT&F-1 pp.175-180). In BR days (p.204-205) it was briefly known as "The Yorkshire Pullman" on a painted headboard but a cast iron one saw restoration of the previous version.

New additions placed here temporarily.

The Halifax portion

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During the 1930s, the Halifax Pullmans left Halifax Old at 10.32pm, called at Halifax North Bridge, Bradford Exchange, and then were taken to Wakefield Westgate where they were attached to the main train for King's Cross. They returned to Halifax at 8.57pm.

Pictures are rare and the one we ran in LPF-1 was not too sharp and the location proved incorrect (actually near Halifax North Bridge). This one was taken inside the curve near Great Horton (between Bradford and Queensbury) on a late summer evening just before sunset - the train passed here about 8.45pm - and the print is so blemished that much effort has been needed to repair it, so please be kind and consider the historical value!

There is no date although c1930 is likely when the "white" livery was still being carried by the Pullman cars (before umber was introduced below the cornice and for the large expanse of panelling at the brake ends) and the portion, hauled by N1 No 4566, comprises two elderly 12w Pullman cars. Photo: D. Hudson collection.

12w Pullman

1st brake

12w Pullman

3rd Kitchen

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The OS 25" map of 1932-34 showing the area near Great Horton where the train was captured, just south of Beckside Mills (Worsted), which is to the photographer's left, the train approaching from the east. The railway was forced to wind through the hills between Bradford to the N and Halifax to the S with the footbridge behind the train marked "F.B." in the centre of this slice at the very bottom edge of the map. Sunset may have been some 45 minutes away but the sun would already have dipped behind the hills, the scene still lit by a bright sky overhead. Source: National Library of Scotland.

The area was studded with mills and much of this site remains today with a footpath along the course of the railway.

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The Halifax cars were routinely among the oldest in the train and according to the roster for 1934, one had been upgraded by an 8w car by 1934:

12w Pullman

1st brake

  8w Pullman

3rd Kitchen

A 12w 1st brake "Catania" was still in the train in 1939, the capacious brake end helping carry the luggage for the Hull portion. The later version of the Halifax portion was shown on p.178 in LPF-1 and the caption corrected in Updates, from which this image is taken:

Halifax Pullmans

SLS Collection.


LNER

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A pre-War view with 4473 Solario heading the Down "Yorkshire Pullman" not long after its creation in 1935 from the "West Riding Pullman". The leading 6 cars are for Harrogate, the next two for Halifax, and the two to be detached off the rear at Doncaster are for Hull. Photo: Colling Turner.

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A1 No 4471 Sir Frederick Banbury is near Brookmans Park in 1937 with the Down Yorkshire Pullman. Now made up to nine cars, mostly 8w but heavy 12w brake ends remained , the leading one for Harrogate and another further back in the Halifax portion. Photo: Photomatic.

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A scene from 1938 when A4s from King's Cross took over. No 4468 Mallard has the train near New Southgate with a similar formation to the one behind Sir Frederick Banbury. Photo: Photomatic.

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The date is unknown but would have been 1938-39 as A4 No 4903 Peregrine passes Hatfield with the "Yorkshire Pullman". One of the 12w brake ends is missing, replaced by a normal car and a smart Gresley 61'6" steel-panelled BG. Another car has been added too and the total length of the train is 11 vehicles, one of the longest Pullman trains to run. Being used to seeing pictures like this predominantly in black and white, we tend to miss the glorious colour that was, in this case of a blue loco with red wheels and a glossy black front, the beautifully painted "teak" bogie van, and of course, the umber and cream Pullman cars. What a sight to see this would have been to any passenger or observer.

The loco was renamed Lord Faringdon in 1948. Photo: Photomatic.

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Post-WWII and BR

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A post-WWII scene with A3 No 50 Persimmon on the Down "Yorkshire Pullman" and the revised formation, for Harrogate and Hull. The loco regained LNER green livery in 10/47 and the flowers suggest a date in 1948. Photo: Real Photographs.

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It's 3.50pm in March 1948 as A3 No E62 Minoru pulls away from King's Cross with the "Yorkshire Pullman". The new livery is being carried by the loco with BRITISH RAILWAYS on the tender. The train nameboard is now an LNER-style painted one with a suffix "THE YORKSHIRE PULLMAN". This was quite short-lived. Photo: CCB Herbert.

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A rare view of the empty stock of the "Yorkshire Pullman" being drawn by N2 No 9583 down Holloway Bank towards King's Cross. Unusually, the brake at this end of the train is three cars inside the formation. The date was Monday 5th July 1948. Photo: Ken Nunn collection, LCGB.

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The Up "Yorkshire Pullman" makes its way over Langley Troughs in 1949 behind Copley Hill's Peppercorn No 60123, not yet named H.A. Ivatt. The new cast train nameplate is being carried. Photo: R.F. Reardon.

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After the War and introduction of the Peppercorn Pacifics, A4s Pacifics were not used very often on the "Yorkshire Pullman". King's Cross's 60016 Quicksilver has the Down train near Potters Bar, possibly because the A1 from Copley Hill had been failed at "Top Shed". 1953. Photo: Author's collection.

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Copley Hill's A1 No 60118 Archibald Sturrock lifts the "Yorkshire Pullman" out of Leeds Central c1953 past its home shed. At 1:50 this was the steepest part of the climb out of the Aire Valley. Note the J6 in the local goods yard and on shed, a passenger tank and a Thompson B1. Photo: Author's collection.

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A few miles further down the line passing Ardsley, 60123 H.A. Ivatt has the "Yorkshire Pullman's" seven cars from Harrogate and Bradford. 1957. Photo: Author's collection.

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Possibly another failure at King's Cross of the Copley Hill Peppercorn has resulted in substitution by a gleaming A3 No 60103 Flying Scotsman. June 1959. Photo: Derek Cross, author's collection.

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The last years of steam

None of these slides is dated and some have no location either, but appear to be from around 1960 when Copley Hill was using its A1 Peppercorn Pacifics, albeit no longer very clean. It was the period of transition from pre-War Pullman cars to newly-built Mk.1 types, for which brake-ends were never provided.

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Copley Hill's Peppercorn A1 No 60134 Foxhunter is near Retford c1959 with the Up "Yorkshire Pullman" and still all Type K Pullman cars. Photo: Keith Pirt.

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Another one of Copley Hill's Peppercorn A1s, No 60141 Abbotsford c1959 at an unknown location, also with a complete formation of Type K Pullman cars. Photo: Keith Pirt.

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Enter the Mk.1 Pullman cars

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This time it's No 60133 Pommern c1960 near Ordsall and Mk.1 Pullmans have begun to be delivered. The Leeds and Bradford cars gleam with modernity; three cars for Hull are still the old type. Photo: Possibly Keith Pirt.

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This picture at Hadley Wood south is pretty enough with an A4-hauled express passing the Up "Yorkshire Pullman" c1962 with all-new Mk.1 Pullman cars except for the brake end, but the identity of the loco is questionable. It's an old Kodak card-mounted slide and hand-written is "60531 Bahrain". Well, Barhram was a Scottish A2 and a single-chimney one, too: this looks more like an A1, identity unknown. Photo: source unknown.

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And finally for now a marvellous picture c1962 at Harringay with a spotless ex-works A3 No 60109 Hermit lifting the Down "Yorkshire Pullman" out of London. Photo: Author's collection

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To be continued...

Other Leeds-West Riding topics re the GN and ECML:

Leeds Central and its workings: is here.

"The Queen of Scots: is here.

Bradford to King's Cross portions: are here.

Copley Hill engine shed: is here.

West Riding conurbation: is here.

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LNER Passenger Trains and Formations

The book took 12 years for me and Clive to complete and, though I say so myself, Ian Allan have made a beautiful job of it (see full description and sample pages). Vol.2 about the Secondary Services should follow in a year or so's time.

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