I saw an interesting feature on BBC North West about the so-called Wakes Weeks - the complete shutdown of towns in the North West for the summer holiday fortnight during the 1950's. It showed shots of a train of ex-LMS stock leaving Blackburn crammed to the cant rails with holidaymakers. Does anyone know what the destinations of these trains were please? Presumably Blackpool was one, but did they go further afield: the West Country, South Coast or Scotland for instance? I assume these were not timetabled services but I might be wrong on that.
They were not "so called". They actually were Wakes Weeks.I saw an interesting feature on BBC North West about the so-called Wakes Weeks - the complete shutdown of towns in the North West for the summer holiday fortnight during the 1950's. It showed shots of a train of ex-LMS stock leaving Blackburn crammed to the cant rails with holidaymakers. Does anyone know what the destinations of these trains were please? Presumably Blackpool was one, but did they go further afield: the West Country, South Coast or Scotland for instance? I assume these were not timetabled services but I might be wrong on that.
As a Preston lad in the 1950s Wakes Weeks was a well known term. There was even a feature film titled Hindle Wakes with Hindle actually being Preston. My memories of the huge amount of Bank Holiday traffic are similar except the LNER engines were K3s and B1s from Sheffield and West Yorkshire areas. 9Fs came from Sheffield area and East Midlands( the only 9Fs we saw) as did 8Fs. Specials from the West Midlands and places such as Watford had the usual LMS locos. There were also numerous Crabs from East Lancs and Manchester areas dragging non corridor stock. All the while the normal timetabled trains ran, including locals as well as medium distance and London and Scottish trains with sometimes unusual traction such as a pair of Black 5s on the Royal Scot. No goods or mineral trains of course.As a spotter between Preston and Leyland in the 1950's the whole summer was a field day for copping locos from rare sheds, particularly at the end of summer when Blackpool Illuminations were switched on. You'd get standard 9F's from sheds like Toton , including the Crosti boilered ones from Wellingborough, arriving mid-afternoon and returning late at night. There would also be rare Jubilees from the Midlands and Yorkshire and rarest of all ex-LNER locos such as B1, K2 and K3's from sheds such as York, Darlington, Stockton and Neville Hill etc.
Preston, Chorley and Leyland holiday fortnight always coincided with Glasgow fortnight so there was plenty of Scottish locos about from some of the more obscure sheds in the Glasgow area.
Incidentally I never heard the term "wakes week" used to describe the annual holidays in my area.
I made a typo, they were K2's I saw coming from the North East not K1's. I did see 9F's from the East Midlands, including the Crosti boilered ones though. 9F's were rare here in the 50's until Newton Heath acquired some.They were not "so called". They actually were Wakes Weeks.
As a Preston lad in the 1950s Wakes Weeks was a well known term. There was even a feature film titled Hindle Wakes with Hindle actually being Preston. My memories of the huge amount of Bank Holiday traffic are similar except the LNER engines were K3s and B1s from Sheffield and West Yorkshire areas. 9Fs came from Sheffield area and East Midlands( the only 9Fs we saw) as did 8Fs. Specials from the West Midlands and places such as Watford had the usual LMS locos. There were also numerous Crabs from East Lancs and Manchester areas dragging non corridor stock. All the while the normal timetabled trains ran, including locals as well as medium distance and London and Scottish trains with sometimes unusual traction such as a pair of Black 5s on the Royal Scot. No goods or mineral trains of course.
Was he in the T&G by any chance? T&G always had a big hotel / centre on Eastbourne SeafrontMy parents traveled on an overnight wakes week through train from Leyland to Eastbourne in the 1960's. Eastbourne was one of their favourite destinations and they were sorry when BR pulled the plug on the train. They then went by scheduled trains via London. I think the hotel they stayed in was owned by my dad's trade union.
I believe so yes (as I now see others have answered with more interested detail on the point).Was there any sort of coordination between the mills / towns so that not everyone in Lancashire tried to get away in the same week?
He was originally in the NUVB (National Union of Vehicle Builders) but there were so few of them that it had to amalgamate with larger union, I can't remember which. He did tell me that the hotel paid proper wages.Was he in the T&G by any chance? T&G always had a big hotel / centre on Eastbourne Seafront
By the time I knew it (1970s) given the architecture I expect it had been rebuilt:
The Eastbourne Centre (known as T&G Centre at the time of photo), Eastbourne, England Stock Photo - Alamy
Download this stock image: The Eastbourne Centre (known as T&G Centre at the time of photo), Eastbourne, England. - AYYME1 from Alamy's library of millions of high resolution stock photos, illustrations and vectors.www.alamy.com
Had a good reputation as it paid decent hotel sector wages when I lived near Eastbourne - compared of course with the rest of the hotel industry in the town, which would tend to be more casualised work etc, as you might expect. Not a town with a significant union culture of course.
I believe so yes (as I now see others have answered with more interested detail on the point).
I have a copy of the 1962 NER Summer Timetable which shows sixteen additional trains on summer Saturdays on the coast route, all of which ran on the dates mentioned.Sunderland used to shut down in the last week of July and first week of August- 'Shipyard Fortnight'. Were there lots of holiday specials then too ?
Similarly in Wigan, although slightly later. "Wigan Week" was the first week in July.Bolton used to have "Bolton holidays" in June when the cotton Mills shut down simultaneously in June.
This hung over well into the 1990s, as I still remember some schools still having the 6 week summer holiday in June/July rather than July/August.
Checking 1958 (which probably reflects the peak summer of holiday trains) all those ran for most of July-August, not just "Shipyard Fortnight" - I imagine there were plenty of extras for those two weeks!I have a copy of the 1962 NER Summer Timetable which shows sixteen additional trains on summer Saturdays on the coast route, all of which ran on the dates mentioned.
Yes, from Exchange at 8.15am (and one from Liverpool, both terminating at Pemychain) returning from Portmadoc at 10.40am - no, I can't work out why Butlins' guests had to change at Afon Wen on the return! 1958 again.Was there ever a holiday train service from a central Manchester station that served the Butlin's holiday camp at Pwllheli?
Thanks - interesting to look up the history of the NUVB. Origins in coachbuilding (actual road carriages I assume) and was itself the result of various mergers. Wikip says it merged into the T&G in 1972. No idea if the NUVB had it's own holiday place in Eastbourne too, or if it was always a T&G place.He was originally in the NUVB (National Union of Vehicle Builders) but there were so few of them that it had to amalgamate with larger union, I can't remember which. He did tell me that the hotel paid proper wages.
In the 1950s I watched them through Middleton-on-the-Wolds (betweeen Market Weighton and Driffied) every 15 minutes so others must have got there via Hull. Mostly 4-6-0 hauled, returning by the afternoon. By the 1960s it was nose to tail coaches from places mostly in today's South Yorkshire.Looking at the NE Region timetable for Summer 1958 at Bridlington on a Saturday, there were arrivals from various places at
0621; 0654; 0856; 0927; 0936; 0946; 0958; 1012; 1020; 1030; 1050; 1058; 1105; 1118; 1128; 1137; 1144; 1151; 1200; 1217; 1225; 1233; 1241; 1300; 1309; 1316; 1325; 1335; 1345; 1355; 1412; 1438 after which they thin out somewhat.
The School holidays are still different County by County, for example here in Leicestershire the little darlings go back tomorrow (Wednesday 25th).
The School holidays are still different County by County, for example here in Leicestershire the little darlings go back tomorrow (Wednesday 25th).
I get the impression that schools do go back earlier now, both in September and in January, compared to the 80s. Also they seem to have fixed the Easter holiday rather than centering it round the actual date of Easter, which in some years presumably means they have to go back to school the day after Easter Monday or only break up on Maundy Thursday: not ideal.
I can't attest to any of this but I do remember going on a Summer Saturday from Halifax to Blackpool, and it was a white liveried/blue strip Calder Valley DMU. Pretty sure it was at least two 3-car units together. Packed to the rafters (although we got the front seat so the view was a winner). I'm sure we also travelled from Halifax to Southport and Morecambe on occasions but maybe I'm imagining the first and the second involved a cross-city trek at Bradford. The Scarborough-Bangor trains at Huddersfield must have served a serious holiday purpose as well as it served both coasts.I remember back in the mid 80's, there were loco hauled trains from Leeds on a Saturday to Skegness and Paignton. I also remember there were Saturday additionals to Blackpool., one of which was non-stop between Leeds and Manchester Victoria. I seem to remember there being one from York which stopped at Castleford. Can anyone else back this up?
August school return sounds very very harsh, particularly as it's now a long slog through to December. Natural date this year would be September 6th. Earliest I ever went back, IIRC, was September 3rd and that was exceptional. More typically, both primary and secondary, it was between about the 5th and 11th. Christmas return was typically soon after Twelfth Night though one year it was as late as Jan 14th.
Yes,it must have been after the NUVB had merged with the T & G as the former didn't own any hotels. My dad had worked at Leyland Motors and Doncaster carriage works but served his time at Fowler's in Leyland, a small coach builder which was later owned by local bus company, Fishwick. After retiring from Leyland Motors, Fishwicks asked him to work part time for them at Fowler's. So he ended up where he started.Thanks - interesting to look up the history of the NUVB. Origins in coachbuilding (actual road carriages I assume) and was itself the result of various mergers. Wikip says it merged into the T&G in 1972. No idea if the NUVB had it's own holiday place in Eastbourne too, or if it was always a T&G place.
Found this interesting article about some art work that was in there, which incidentally details the history of the building, saying construction started in 1974. I didn't know enough about local history to say what was on the site before.
The International Workers' Mural that Eastbourne should not forget | Engels in Eastbourne
The International Workers' Mural that Eastbourne should not forget At the time of its creation in 1922, the Transport and General Workers’ Union...blogs.brighton.ac.uk
Would it have been in the 70s that your parents used to go there?
I recall seeing the direct 'inter-regional' or cross country trains as we might now call them trains that still made it to Eastbourne on Saturdays in the 80s. Their loss is indeed a shame.
In the summer of 1964, there was the 8.05 am , Saturdays only from Manchester Exchange to Pen y Chain, arriving 12.26 pm. The return service departed from Pwllheli, at 07.45 am, arriving Manchester Exchange at 12.58 pm.Was there ever a holiday train service from a central Manchester station that served the Butlin's holiday camp at Pwllheli?
Do you know if diesel locomotives travelled this way on specials / Summer Saturday trains before the line closed ?n the 1950s I watched them through Middleton-on-the-Wolds (betweeen Market Weighton and Driffied) every 15 minutes so others must have got there via Hull. Mostly 4-6-0 hauled,
I note that line closed completely in 1965. I don't recall seeing any diesel hauled services. Stopping trains had ceased in 1954 and my train spotting days had not long after!Do you know if diesel locomotives travelled this way on specials / Summer Saturday trains before the line closed ?
Thanks for that, I would imagine there may have been Summer Saturday trains to Bridlington or Scarborough which travelled this way until a year or so before closure to relieve congestion on the alternative routes and this would have coincided with the transition from steam to diesel, so I suppose it is always possible.I note that line closed completely in 1965. I don't recall seeing any diesel hauled services. Stopping trains had ceased in 1954 and my train spotting days had not long after!
The equivalent in Swindon was "Trip Week", when the Railway Works used to shut down for this purpose. Many special trains used to leave from the station and sidings all over the Works for a lot of places in the South West for the same purpose as those in the North.We had nothing like the Wakes Weeks in the South, although some big factories did close for a fixed fortnight, when they usually carried out maintenance on machinery and other bits of kit.
One of the issues highlighted by Beeching was the tens of thousands of old coaches held in sidings across the country and used on only a very few days a year. I remember a couple of years about 1960/1 when we joined a train of musty old mainline corridor stock in Newcastle, the springs in the seats crushed after years of use.
I have seen photographs of diesel hauled Summer Saturday trains at Driffield in 1963, which could have come Market Weighton-Driffield, or Beverley-Driffield. This was probably the last year the Market Weighton branch was used for excursions as it was due to close in June 1964. There was a last minute appeal, which delayed complete closure for a year, but it saw little use, if any, during its final year.Thanks for that, I would imagine there may have been Summer Saturday trains to Bridlington or Scarborough which travelled this way until a year or so before closure to relieve congestion on the alternative routes and this would have coincided with the transition from steam to diesel, so I suppose it is always possible.
'The Railways of Ryedale' by Patric Howat has photographs of diesel locomotives (Class 40) hauling holiday specials through Ryedale (Pilmoor to Malton), fo example Glasgow to Scarborough.Do you know if diesel locomotives travelled this way on specials / Summer Saturday trains before the line closed ?