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1960s Trans pennine catering
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The Swindon-built 6 car dmus [later class 124], introduced between Hull -Leeds City - Huddersfield- Manchester Exchange & Liverpool Lime St in 1961 originally conveyed a small buffet car or "griddle" as it was known in its contemporary publicity. This served only a limited range of tea, coffee, etc, but centred on the famous steak in a bread roll - an early form of hamburger, which was becoming popular at about that time. Its mouth-watering publicity, [an "Aberdeen Angus steak with melting butter in a freshly-baked roll"] meant you suddenly wanted one,[at least I did] whether you were hungry or not! All for a bargain of 1s.6d. Remember, this was in the day when eating on the train was regarded as the prerogative of the richer upper-class, so quite a novelty!
The buffet cars were withdrawn after a short time, though, leaving the sets as 5-car units, with no catering provision.
IIRC the LHCS hauled by a Class 40 or 46 on the Newcastle-Liverpool services also included a miniature buffet car, but again, the menu was limited.
On the ex L&Y route, Leeds Central-Bradford Exchange- Manchester Victoria and Liverpool Exchange services, the "Calder Valley" 3-car units [later class 110] introduced in 1962, had no buffet provision. You took a flask and sandwiches.
The buffet cars were withdrawn after a short time, though, leaving the sets as 5-car units, with no catering provision.
IIRC the LHCS hauled by a Class 40 or 46 on the Newcastle-Liverpool services also included a miniature buffet car, but again, the menu was limited.
On the ex L&Y route, Leeds Central-Bradford Exchange- Manchester Victoria and Liverpool Exchange services, the "Calder Valley" 3-car units [later class 110] introduced in 1962, had no buffet provision. You took a flask and sandwiches.
While four of the Class 124 buffet cars were stored, that did not happen until 1971. Three of these were scrapped in 1972, but one was reinstated and lasted in service, along with all the other remaining buffet cars, until they were removed from the trains in 1975.
For more details, see
https://www.railcar.co.uk/type/class-124/decline
WesternLancer
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They are a stylish DMU and that is a very interesting link
Also linked page from Jimm's posting shows interior pic of buffet car lower on the page (no menu though!)
https://www.railcar.co.uk/type/class-124/description
and also under 'operations' it says
Buffets
One of the features was of course the Griddle buffet. These were operated by a staff of two and could provide immediate service of hot or cold snacks at any time, either in the buffet or in the three adjacent compartments. A good variety of dished included hot griddle-cooked Aberdeen-Angus beef in toasted bread roll with butter, price (1961!) 1s 9d, or with fried egg 3s.
Also linked page from Jimm's posting shows interior pic of buffet car lower on the page (no menu though!)
https://www.railcar.co.uk/type/class-124/description
and also under 'operations' it says
Buffets
One of the features was of course the Griddle buffet. These were operated by a staff of two and could provide immediate service of hot or cold snacks at any time, either in the buffet or in the three adjacent compartments. A good variety of dished included hot griddle-cooked Aberdeen-Angus beef in toasted bread roll with butter, price (1961!) 1s 9d, or with fried egg 3s.
Thank you for the above reference, and I stand corrected that the price of the beefburger was 1s.9d, and not the 1s.6d I quoted from memory!
However, I am reassured to learn my memory is only 3d out in 58 years!!
I don't think we could ever afford the fried egg too, though.
However, I am reassured to learn my memory is only 3d out in 58 years!!
I don't think we could ever afford the fried egg too, though.
WesternLancer
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well, I'm not sure we can be certain who was 100% correct on that! After all no menu card and price list is on that site!!
I was so impressed when I found that ref which matched your post so closely that I felt the cut and paste was worth doing.
I bet it was tastier than the microwaved bacon roll I had recently too, with or without egg.
ChiefPlanner
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Splendid - old BR did try out some "novel" catering ideas , there is a generation of people who fondly recall the similar "griddle car" steak sandwiches on the Clacton / Walton - Liverpool Street class 309's
BR even joined the hamburger trend later on with the "Casey Jones" concept.
coppercapped
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I have the AM9 Griddle cars in fond memory as well! After graduation my first job was in Chelmsford and occasionally I went up to London to see some college chums, stayed overnight and took a morning train from Liverpool Street. One of the pleasures was eating a minute steak accompanied by a cup of tea on the train for breakfast and then walking to work!
That was now, oh dear!, 53 years ago...
Pyreneenguy
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Summer holidays 1965, I wasn't quite 7. I was waiting on that very long platform at Manchester Exchange for our train to Filey Holiday camp when a Transpennine unit bound for Hull arrived (with buffet car) loaded the waiting passengers and duly departed. Shortly afterwards, our train for Filey pulled into the station, a scruffy looking steam-engine and a rake of dirty maroon carriages and no buffet-car ! I was most upset and probably gave my nan hell for the rest of the journey. This event is truly engraved in my mind and if I remember correctly, it is a tale that I have told and retold umpteen times !
I've put the relevant page from the LMR Timetable in 'my media'.
https://www.railforums.co.uk/media/img_20190917_131822.3544/
I've put the relevant page from the LMR Timetable in 'my media'.
https://www.railforums.co.uk/media/img_20190917_131822.3544/
As I recall it, the Trans-Pennine units had their Griddle cars well into the 1970s, lasted about 15 years, while the Liverpool-Newcastle hauled service which they interleaved with had full restaurant cars.
The griddle was an advance on the Miniature Buffet; both had propane-gas powered equipment, but the MB only powered a water boiler, which apart from the beverages could be used to do poached eggs, if the steward had time. The griddle was a large heated by gas from underneath flat plate for doing the steaks, fried eggs, bacon, etc, generally all at once, and I think sometimes all together were offered as an overall meal. The downside for the accounts department was the Griddle required a second steward, as you couldn't attend to that plus serve everything else at the counter and handle cash single-handed.
I wonder how toast was done, when only a low voltage DC electric supply was available.
The griddle was an advance on the Miniature Buffet; both had propane-gas powered equipment, but the MB only powered a water boiler, which apart from the beverages could be used to do poached eggs, if the steward had time. The griddle was a large heated by gas from underneath flat plate for doing the steaks, fried eggs, bacon, etc, generally all at once, and I think sometimes all together were offered as an overall meal. The downside for the accounts department was the Griddle required a second steward, as you couldn't attend to that plus serve everything else at the counter and handle cash single-handed.
I wonder how toast was done, when only a low voltage DC electric supply was available.
I provided a link to a detailed history of the griddle cars in post 3.
While there may have been the some restaurant cars on the Liverpool-Newcastle loco-hauled trains in the 1960s, even the 1962-63 London Midland Region timetable shows a number just had a buffet - timetable footnote RB, as opposed to RC for restaurant car. See Table 116 in the book available via the timetable search at this site https://timetableworld.com/index.php
I certainly never saw a restaurant car in the 1970s when I started using these trains.
There were thoughts of running something like a Class 124 over the L&Y route (and from Liverpool and Manchester to Birmingham) at one point, though they came to nothing.
Presumably a propane toaster existed, or else a rather alarming design of electric toaster that could operate at low voltage by using an alarmingly high current.
Was adding buffet cars to the L&Y route through Halifax not what the batch of freestanding Met-Cam buffet cars, not part of any unit order but loose vehicles, were about?
WesternLancer
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Looking at the link to the still image of the Griddle Car on the railcar website, and comparing with a scene in BTF 1964 Film 'We're in Business Too' on the recently released BFI compilation here, that I have just watched
https://shop.bfi.org.uk/pre-order-b...n-the-right-track-2-dvd-set.html#.XYks7ShKhPY
about 5 mins into the film you see a griddle car cook making what I reckon is one of these steak meals, with fried egg and side salad it seems, all in glorious colour!
It's edited in a way that cuts from a loco hauled train, but the Griddle Car is mentioned, and the interior film features the distinctive mural from the B&W web page image, suggesting it could be interior of a Transpennine unit -unless that mural design feature also was in hauled stock?
The meal is seen being served at the counter later in the film.
This film is about BR's innovations, of which griddle cars are mentioned.
synopsis here from:
http://www.britishtransportfilms.co.uk/
We're In Business Too! (1964)
23 minutes - Colour
This film sets out to persuade the businessman who may travel from city centre to city centre by road or by air, that travel by train gives him more time in which to do useful work or to relax, eat and sleep in comfort. It also shows how the railways themselves are learning to sell their advantages to their customers.
The film includes quite a bit of other colour film of carriage interiors, as well as re-used footage from the film Blue Pullman, which is of course very well known BTF film.
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WesternLancer
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Actually - I need to watch the film again to see if the steak is served with a bread roll as described.
Journeyman
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I know one or two griddle cars have made it into preservation - do any of them serve the famous steak-in-a-roll?
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