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LNER Silver Jubilee brochure - from Monday 4th May 1936

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swt_passenger

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Following a post of just the front cover in the ECML franchise thread, I thought some people might be interested in the whole brochure, describing the LNER Silver Jubilee service: jubilee front cover.jpeg jubilee page 1.jpeg jubilee page 3.jpeg jubilee page 4.jpeg jubilee page 5.jpeg jubilee page 6.jpeg jubilee page 7.jpeg Silver Jubilee service:
 
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swt_passenger

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One of my great-grandfathers was an LNER guard, based at Alnwick. Unfortunately he died in October 1936, at Edinburgh, and we think he was taken ill while working. I have no idea how much of the ECML a guard from Alnwick or Alnmouth would cover at that time.

So although this brochure/booklet has been handed down through the family, we don't know if he ever worked south of Newcastle on the Silver Jubilee.

Hope the above is of interest.
 
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krus_aragon

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A fascinating read. (and deserving of a second reading when I get home.)

Thank you for sharing it with us.
 

70014IronDuke

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Truly fascinating - a real historic document from a variety of angles, not least the stress and amount of technical detail presented - including the consist details.

You would never have a PR department releasing anything like this today, at least, not with the structure used.
 

ainsworth74

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Premium priced service. Special rules for reservations. Only intended for pax bound for London.

Imagine the uproar here if the new LNER tried that...

Ah but it's got a full restaurant for both classes so I'm sure that would get a pass ;)

Truly fascinating - a real historic document from a variety of angles, not least the stress and amount of technical detail presented - including the consist details.

You would never have a PR department releasing anything like this today, at least, not with the structure used.

Yes I thought that was one of the more interesting things. The technical details included are the sorts of things that now you'd only expect to see in something like Rail or Modern Railways.
 

70014IronDuke

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Premium priced service. Special rules for reservations. Only intended for pax bound for London.
.. .

This raises questions, of course. In effect they were saying pick up and set down only at Darlington. But the words do not actually 'ban' passengers taking it between Newcastle and Darlington, did they? So I wonder if and how they enforced this?

Come to that howd did they ensure everyone had a reservation?
 

swt_passenger

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One odd aspect to the carriage layout is the apparent use of "0+3" seating layout in the third class seating coaches. Is that really what they did, or could it be a printer's error?
 

70014IronDuke

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Ah but it's got a full restaurant for both classes so I'm sure that would get a pass ;)



Yes I thought that was one of the more interesting things. The technical details included are the sorts of things that now you'd only expect to see in something like Rail or Modern Railways.

Note too how the map has cathedrals and abbeys marked. Plus rivers. And Ferryhill is marked on the map!

Although it's in there, a modern pamphlet, apart from being shorter and far less wordy, would have Newcastle-Kings Cross in record four-hours in BIG font up front. In fact, you struggle to find the departure and arrival times! I missed them first time through myself!

And - Note paper and envelopes are provided free of charge! Clearly it isn't only today's folks who wanted to get work done on trains!
 

ainsworth74

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And - Note paper and envelopes are provided free of charge! Clearly it isn't only today's folks who wanted to get work done on trains!
The Train Attendant will even post them for you and send any telegrams you need sending!
 

Taunton

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One odd aspect to the carriage layout is the apparent use of "0+3" seating layout in the third class seating coaches. Is that really what they did, or could it be a printer's error?
Quite normal, the bulk of normal Third (nowadays Standard) class seating on all railways was like this, in compartments, three a side, with a sliding door to the side corridor.

First Class was also three-a-side normally, but here it is down to two-a-side, which is how Pullman did it.

I bet Cecil J Allen, an employee of the LNER at the time, had been involved in presenting those average point-to-point speeds to 2 decimal places. It looks just like a CJA log.

I just wonder, knowing the economic conditions of the 1930s, especially in the North-East, how they justified such a high proportion of First Class seating in the train.
 
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70014IronDuke

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The Train Attendant will even post them for you and send any telegrams you need sending!

Amazing, isn't it? If I were a history teacher, especially in the north-east, I'd consider getting copies of this and handing them out in class: the task - an 800-word essay on What does this brochure reveal about life in Britain in 1936?
 

ainsworth74

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One odd aspect to the carriage layout is the apparent use of "0+3" seating layout in the third class seating coaches. Is that really what they did, or could it be a printer's error?

Those will be compartments with a corridor rather than open coaches.
 

swt_passenger

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Quite normal, the bulk of Third (now Standard) class seating was like this, in compatrtments, three a side, with a sliding door to the side corridor.

First Class was also three-a-side normally, but here it is down to two-a-side, which is how Pullman did it.

Yes of course, they just haven't drawn the doors and bulkheads in detail or scale... :oops:
 
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ainsworth74

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Amazing, isn't it? If I were a history teacher, especially in the north-east, I'd consider getting copies of this and handing them out in class: the task - an 800-word essay on What does this brochure reveal about life in Britain in 1936?

Yes that would be quite an interesting exercise I'm sure!

Again I really must thank @swt_passenger for posting a most interesting document.
 

Taunton

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Yes of course, they just haven't drawn the doors and bulkheads in detail or scale...
That was the standard. I think they have just taken the general arrangement drawings from the Carriage & Wagon department rather than doing anything just for the brochure. I've seen other pre- and post-war drawings to the same level.
 

hexagon789

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AFAIK, both the Silver Jubilee and Coronation stock used only open stock for both classes.

I think you're thinking of the Coronation and the West Riding Limited which used essentially identical sets. The Silver Jubilee had compartments in both classes.
 

hexagon789

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I think it may prove both helpful and of interest to clarify the formations of the LNER streamlines here.

The first streamliner was the Silver Jubilee, introduced from September 1935 on a four hour schedule from King's Cross to Newcastle with one stop at Darlington. The outward left Newcastle at 10.00 am and returned at 5.30pm. One set of stock was used for outward and return.

The original formation was 7-coaches consisting of two articulated twins flanking a Restaurant Triplet Set:

BFK-SFO
FO-RK-TO
TK-BTK

The first class twin included a semi-open first next to the first class dining car, vehicles of this type were well used on the West Riding to augment restaurant seating and First class accommodation as necessary. On the Silver Jubilee however this was not this case.

The train suffered from overbooking despite the supplementary fare and so two measures were taken to improve matters. Within the first six months the balance of reserveable and dining seats was altered with 32 reserveable seats added by making half the dining car bookable seating in addition to altering some of open seating from 1+1 to 2+1.

This aided matters but the issue of capacity remained and so in 1938 a further 35 Third Class seats were added by building a 45ft 11in Corridor Third to fit inside the trailing Third class twin making it into a Triplet of TK-TK-BTK. The set remained as 8 vehicles from then.

The 'Coronation' was introduced in 1937, linking the Capitals of England and Scotland in 6 hours (the Flying Scotsman took 7 hours 20 at this time but often loaded 12-16 coaches). As a result of the longer journey time and both services leaving within 30 mins of each other, opposing formations were required and it was decided to build three 8-coach sets, two with Coronation in raised lettering on the side and one plain for use as a spare.

Two beaver-tail Observation Cars were built for use in summer months with seating for 16, though over half the vehicles were actually van space. The 3 sets were formed as 4 articulated pairs and unlike the Silver Jubilee were all open saloon with all seats reserveable and meals at all seats in both classes:

BTO-TO
RT-TO
FO-FO
RT-BTO

A desire to maximise seating saw a pantry removed from each RT giving 3 extra Third Class seats, however this proved to the detriment of the catering service as there was insufficient room for staff to provide the required service and so within 6 months the RTs were rebuilt with 2 pantries a 3 fewer seats.

The West Riding Limited between King's Cross, Leeds and Bradford later in September 1937 using one identical set to the Coronation but with West Riding Limited lettering and no Observation Car.

The unbranded spare set was then used to replace either of the Coronation sets or the West Riding set as necessary.

With the outbreak of the Second World War all 5 sets were stored and would never run again as proper streamliners, individual twins and triplets being used on a variety of East Coast Expresses well into BR days.
 

ainsworth74

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A twin is a two-coach articulated set (eg a BFK-SFO is a twin)

A Triplet is a three-coach articulated set (such as a Restaurant Triplet: FO-RK-TO).

Aha! Excellent. So what is an 'SFO' because in my head that's that a Standard/Second First Open!?!
 

hexagon789

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Aha! Excellent. So what is an 'SFO' because in my head that's that a Standard/Second First Open!?!

Semi-Open First in LNER telegraph codes, ie containing compartment and saloon seating. Such vehicles were common on the West Riding expresses and the daily Leeds-Glasgow providing flexible First Class open seating which could be used either to augment the normal seating or for fluid dining as required.
 

hexagon789

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The drawing of the train in the booklet (above the seating plans) makes a reasonable attempt to show the way some coaches are articulated.

And a very interesting booklet it is too. I have a book with some scans of the Coronation and Silver Jubilee booklets but not the entire contents so it's very interesting to see the whole thing.
 

hexagon789

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I've also just noticed the seating plan shows the alteration of some of the open First Class seating to 2+1 from all 1+1 originally.
 
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