Cross-country expresses
These expresses had a dedicated chapter in "LNER Passenger Trains & Formations" but there wasn't enough room for everything so here is some extra info that enlarges the subject.
Glasgow-Southampton 1922-39
We gave the Glasgow-Southampton 4 1/2 pages and 4 illustrations which focussed on the 1930s; the complexity of the workings; and Gresley and Collett stock then in place. It is now possible to look at the precursor workings which had been introduced by 1914 to Newcastle and extended in 1922 to Glasgow, which George Dow and everybody thereafter somehow missed. Hence, an important service connecting Scotland and the north-east with Southampton Docks and its ocean-going services has been under-reported. The early formations were based on opposing carriages:
GCR |
Parker-style |
GWR |
Dean clerestory |
Carriage Working Books for this period are thin on the ground, none having been found for the GCR and the earliest for the LNER being for 1929, which makes a full write-up difficult. However, analysis of photographs from my collection and Chris Golder's, alas many undated, can reveal quite a lot. It helps to say that the final formation in the '30s was based on two carriages from Glasgow and two from Newcastle, but it developed in detail gradually through GCR and LNER days.
This picture is dated March 1923 and shows GCR class 9Q (LNER B7) No 468 approaching Rothley, the formation inherited from the GCR with Parker-style carriages under JG Robinson, and one update by a Robinson matchboard. The background is that Parker stock was built for the new Extension around 1899 to lengths of around 46'6" (commonly misidentified without the bow ends as "45ft") and when Robinson took over, he followed this house style - but with flat ends and a longer length of 50'. And that's what this photo shows with the leading carriages built 1903-9:
BCK |
1st/3rd brake |
50' Parker-style |
GCR.5H2 BCK(2,2) |
CKL |
1st/3rd luggage |
50' Parker-style |
GCR.5K2 CK(2,2) |
------- |
------------------------ |
---------------------- |
-------------------------- |
RT |
3rd restaurant car |
50' Parker-style |
GCR.5D2 |
BTK |
3rd brake |
50' Parker-style |
unclear |
------- |
------------------------ |
------------------------------ |
-------------------------- |
TK? |
3rd |
Robinson matchboard |
unclear |
There was a single catering carriage in this formation which in this period was based on 3rd restaurant cars and in this train, wasn't supported by a dining car. A post-1911 Robinson matchboard in on the rear. Destinations were:
- first two carriages: Southampton-Glasgow - next two carriages: Oxford-Newcastle - last carriage: possibly also Oxford-Newcastle, later Leicester-Newcastle (FX,SO).
Photo: author's collection.
Click on the image for an enlargement
Another view from the early 1920s with 11D No 1015 [SHE] and the GWR formation on the Up train at Abbey Lane sidings, just north of Leicester Central. The train has been made up to five GWR carriages (painted a dark red colour 1912-22) with a restaurant car in the middle:
BTK, TK, RC, CK, BTK
and what looks like a strengthening GCR matchboard behind the tender, a non-gangwayed 3rd which may only have run between Sheffield-Leicester. Photo: Henry Salmon, author's collection.
Click on the image for an enlargement
GCR Class 8B (LNER C4) No 362 approaches Ashby Magna with the Glasgow-Southampton. The date is not known but the GWR carriages are still carrying the dark red scheme and the loco was allocated to Woodford between 4.11.21 -10.6.25 which points to the early 1920s for this photo. David Jackson and Owen Russell have written that when these locos were sent to WFD they were used on the fish trains to Banbury and while that may be true, the prime reason would have been to take over cross-country expresses from class 11B (LNER D9) 4-4-0s.
The formation with five carriages is similar to the view above. Photo: Henry Salmon, author's collection.
Click on the image for an enlargement
Captured c1925 just south of East Leake Tunnel behind the same ex-GCR C4 as above, recently numbered No 5362, is the GWR formation now reduced to four carriages on which the chocolate and cream livery has been restored but still made up with clerestories, an anachronism not perpetuated by the GCR nor LNER who made a point of putting their best foot forward for a long distance service running onto a rival's metals and providing new carriages. I have had a historian of the GWR tell me that the Great Western "did not think that it was an important service", the consequence being passage of these old clerestories in express service through York, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The same happened with the GWR carriages provided for the "Ports to Ports". This formation was similar to the one described above (BTK, CK / RC, BTK). Photo: H. Gordon Tidey.
Click on the image for an enlargement
An undated picture at Low Fell and the point where the four-track was added that ran half way to Durham. To the left with a goods train approaching were the lines to Blaydon and Low Fell sidings. For some reason, the cross-over from the sidings to the Up slow line was never shown on the OS 25" map.
D49 No 253 Oxfordshire is in charge, its allocation to York in the early '30s suggesting a date between the winters of late 1932 and early 1935. The formation of the GWR carriages is based on the roster although the CK is missing and the replacement appears to be an ex-NBR 6w 1st. Photo: author's collection.
BTK |
3rd brake |
GWR |
RC |
1st/3rd restaurant |
GWR |
BTK |
3rd brake |
GWR |
F |
1st |
ex-NBR 6w |
Unidentified LNER carriages are on the rear, probably from Glasgow-York and Glasgow-Harwich, later placed at the head of the train.
Click on the image for an enlargement
This view of the Glasgow-Southampton dates from 3rd August 1933 when it was captured heading south out of York towards Chaloners Whin behind Sheffield's C1 No 3287 (and also appears under Fish Traffic because of the fish vans behind the tender; see link below).
This is the LNER formation whose four carriages to the GWR and SR can be seen on the rear. Ahead of it appear to be the carriages from Glasgow and apparently a GWR BCK serving to Harwich, or a GWR strengthener to its service.
TK |
3rd |
|
CK |
1st/3rd |
|
BCK |
1st/3rd brake (GWR) |
|
----- |
---------------------------- |
|
BCK |
1st/3rd brake |
Glasgow-Southampton |
TO |
3rd open (dining) |
" |
RF |
1st restaurant |
Newcastle-Oxford |
BTK |
3rd brake |
" |
Photo: E.R. Morten.
Click on the image for an enlargement
A stunning photograph by Henry Casserley from 31st May 1935 on Durham Viaduct shows the head of the Glasgow-Southampton express and its Newcastle-York leg behind Heaton's ex-NER C7 No 2200. Leading is the GWR quartet (which alternated with an LNER one) with the catering added at Newcastle (which only ran as far as Oxford). The roster called for:
BTK |
3rd brake |
GWR |
Newcastle-Oxford |
RC |
1st/3rd restaurant |
GWR |
" |
CK |
1st/3rd |
GWR |
Glasgow-Southampton |
BTK |
3rd brake |
GWR |
" |
It looks like on this occasion the trailing CK,BTK were substituted by two BCKs. I can only muse that colour film had yet to appear for the scene shows Durham's terraced houses lit by the morning sun while the viaduct carries a clean apple green loco and equally clean chocolate & cream carriages. Photo: H.C.Casserley.
Click on the image for an enlargement
