Prototype and traffic

Excursions

This is a huge subject with many parts to it. There were excursions between cities, to coastal resorts, and for sporting occasions of many different kinds. Already covered separately are several aspects:

- ex-GCR "Barnums"
- LNER buffet car conversions
- LNER 61'6" buffet cars
- LNER Buffet Tourist trains
- horse race specials

Although widely photographed, there hasn't been a write-up of the workings. There has been a book "Away for the Day" by Arthur and Elisabeth Jordan although much is based on the 19thC and sensational newspaper reports. Owen Russell has made a particular study of football excursions on the GC, albeit based on loco workings, which are his forte. This topic will take a closer look at the workings through pre-Grouping, LNER and BR days.

New additions placed here temporarily:

Moving around the country to show regional variations, here's a service on the NEA in 1937 approaching York late morning behind K3 2-6-0 No 4005 (DON). No catering can be seen and the carriages are a mixture of LNER gangwayed; possibly an ex-ECJS; and at least two ex-NER. Which means that almost a third of the carriages were of pre-Grouping origin.

The ex-NER one near the head of the train has been refurbished and is actually a straight-sided matchboard 3rd design built for excursion traffic, without gangways but a semi-corridor layout so that everybody could reach the lavatory. At the other end, there was an unattended luggage or "locker" compartment. The NER built two designs in this vein sufficient for several trains but I don't have the evidence for that and it is known that when the GCR built excursion stock (the "Barnums") it was not used in complete sets. Photo: H.C. Doyle.

Click on the image for an enlargement

This picture sits in the section about GCR non-ganwayed carriages and has been published with a made-up caption of a "semi-fast" train but is actually an excursion employing secondary stock, as was so often the case. Hauled by Parker Class 2A No 708, it's passing Abbey Lane sidings between Nottingham and Leicester, details to follow. Photo: authors collection.

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N7 No 69669 (although the number cannot be seen and has been queried) is seen on Sunday 12th June 1949 near the summit of the ascent to Westerfield just west of the station and junction off the Ipswich line to Felixstowe. The gradient here is 1:111 and 1:150 but the loco is making light of it. The photo is captioned as a train from Liverpool Street-Felixstowe and the all-3rd Class stock has many origins and is getting on a bit!:

Photo: authors collection. Click on the image for an enlargement

It's 7.16pm on a sunny August Bank Holiday evening in 1956 although there's a light haze in the air as A4 No 60016 Silver King passes Neville Hill East signal box on the six-mile climb out of Leeds City towards Garforth, which begins easily but steepens to 1:160. A4s were known at Leeds City and Neville Hill but not exactly common. This one was long-lived at Gateshead and may have worked in with the first leg earlier in the day.

Not an excursion really but a holiday relief to the 5pm Liverpool-Newcastle express and similarly made up with spare/secondary stock, in this case per the LMR with ex-LMS P.III Stanier coaches, except for the strengthener added behind the tender, which is an older P.1 composite with the original panelling modernised. 7th August 1956. Photo: Ralph Thurlow.

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GCR excursion carriages - Barnums in service: are here.

Pre-Grouping buffet car conversions: are here.

LNER 61'6" "standard" Buffet Cars: are here.

LNER Buffet Tourist trains: are here.

Horse and race traffic - race specials are here (parts 7-13).