12:08 - Redux
- Thread starter Devvy
- Start date
Devvy
Donor
Indexed - thanks for pointing that out!
Slightly smaller New Street is deliberate - saves some money in the short-term which is classic British Rail of the time. In the 1970s at this point, it's likely sufficient for needs, depressed as those needs are. Moor Street to Wolverhampton intermediate stations still shut, but token peak-time services operate, and parcels services to Wolverhampton depot.
love the update but looks like you cut something off here.
The people in Manchester and Liverpool must be really frustrated. New faster train service but cant get to the station.
Devvy
Donor
Thanks, fixed
".....overnight Motorail services with sleeper cars for use between London and Stirling were dwindling in popularity but still operating. Like many other services operated by British Rail, it seemed their future would be made or broken by what the Channel Tunnel would bring."
And yes, the Mancunians and Scousers are both going to be peeved at this, but it will directly affect the decisions for the next generation of Intercity trains.
Hunh. Haven't commented on this yet.
So. Glad to see it back, keep up the good work.
So. Glad to see it back, keep up the good work.
Devvy
Donor
Glad to see the regulars back again
If we take the Beck Line as an slighly enhanced Jubilee Line, there's still going to be a requirement for a new line of some sort in London post-2000. So it won't butterfly it away, but it will obviously change it substantially from OTL:
- British Rail has got a taste from being able to close London Marylebone station and save money.
- BR has managed to transfer away (along with in Manchester) unprofitable urban routes to the local authority.
- For reasons I'll go in to further down, Heathrow will dwindle and die if Cublington is built, so no Crossrail to Heathrow needed.
- Canary Wharf already has some decent service via the Beck Line and others.
And for Heathrow:
- Most long-distance carriers I can see being easily persuaded to switch to Cublington, especially if few restrictions on night time operations.
- BCal/BA merger is going to want to consolidate operations at a single airport, and Cublington is the obvious answer.
- Cublington Airport will kill off Luton (due to airspace) and likely Brum Airport (commercially) so will should be able to achieve economic stability, especially as it'll quickly have rail connections directly to central London (via Beck Line).
- London City / Docklands Airport will absorb business demand from the central city area for short haul flights to European destinations.
So no Western Approach Road in Edinburgh then. Bit of a pain ITTL if you have to go from my work to the city centre before the trams.
1979-Bradford
Devvy
Donor
1979 - Excerpts from "A Brief History of Bradford", by Alan Campbell.
By Dr Neil Clifton; Bradford Forster Square prior to renovation.
The West Yorkshire PTE was one of the latter PTEs to be legally set up in the country, despite the numbers planned and therefore amongst the last to gain actual powers to regulate and organise local transport. It inherited a patchwork of routes which had managed to survive the 1960s cuts, although the several local authorities had safeguarded several of the routes against ruin in hope of the future - a situation rare in the UK. The metropolitan county differed from many others in being extremely polycentric; rather than having a single major city at it's heart like Greater Manchester, Merseyside or even Tyneside, West Yorkshire consisted of one larger city (Leeds), and 4 other major cities / towns (Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield & Wakefield). Many local stations had been closed in favour of trying to speed up services to make them financially sustainable, and other stations or routes had only been kept open by the sheer force of will of local campaigning groups. The news of a major scheme of power station construction, using trainload coal, was both a major win for the local area and for British Rail where the freight services would help cover costs.
The 1970s was also a time for regeneration in the area. Leeds was in mid-transition from it's industrial era to the modern era with financial services especially centering in Leeds - Yorkshire Bank, First Direct and White Rose Building Societies are all headquartered in the city. Bradford also made significant investments in the time, with a focus on transport rationalisation to save on operating expenses - the "Bradford Crossrail" project. The history of the project dates back to almost the 19th century, with an almost constant string of pursued projects to link Bradford's two main stations together. However, given the relentless squeeze on finances, it was quickly recognised that a single Bradford station could save money, simplify operations (avoiding both the operational complexity of reversals on both sides of Bradford and the time penalties associated with such operations), as well as avoid the need to build further platforms at Shipley for Skipton to Leeds services (to avoid reversals as well). Freight could also benefit; the complex network of junctions to the west of Leeds had only become worse with the closure of Leeds Central station and rationalisation to serve Leeds (City) station, and a cross-Bradford route would provide a lesser congested route across the conurbation.
Exchange station was constructed during 1850, and was definitely looking worse for wear; it's 10 platforms were now well under-used considering the large drop in passenger numbers since World War 2. The two arched roofs needed substantial renovation work, the approach tracks were tight-curved and then steeply graded, with little time to accelerate before the slopes began. Forster Square, on the other hand, dated from 1890 and was in much better condition, and had recently received a parcels depot at the station. It's 6 platforms was the right size whilst leaving some room for a depot or further terminal platforms, and was at the end of a largely flat route from Shipley. With the then Bradford Corporation quickly looking to centralise bus services on a central point, Forster Square was to become Bradford's main station, connected to the south via a viaduct across the city centre - which was being flattened for rebuild anyway by the Bradford authorities.
By Alan Longbottom; Bradford Exchange during demolition works.
Construction works began in 1972 with the West Yorkshire PTE in it's infancy - acting as the project's co-chief promoter, but unable to fund it until it gained it's legal powers. The project received funding from the Bradford Corporation, a significant central Government grant for reducing the British Rail operation subsidy, and of course from British Rail itself. Works took longer than expected, mostly due to a last minute disagreement with the Bradford Corporation about where to site a central bus station, with the Corporation seeking significant land at the new station which was now planned for Parcels operations at the new through station as well as a small depot. The bus station eventually ended up sited underneath much of the new viaduct at the former Exchange rail station, where a funding disagreement ironically meant no rail station would exist despite the site's former status. Bus links now run past the new Forster Square station, but the main bus station remains at arms length from the railway station. The renovated Forster Square station opened in March 1978, with an island platform serving 2 tracks in either direction, and a central parcels platform for trains in either direction, a feature which continues to exist today to serve Royal Mail destinations within the Borough of Bradford.
Train services were immediately altered, although not perhaps in the most efficient manner; services to/from the Skipton direction now passed through Bradford Forster Square before operating to Leeds via New Pudsey. Equally,services from Halifax passed through Forster Square in the opposite direction, and then continued to Leeds via Shipley. Both routes were pre-existing, and the merely swapped the Bradford-Leeds routes between them, thereby avoiding any need to reverse, and allowing simpler operation for the Manchester services which were increasingly operated with locomotive hauled stock - a nightmare for train reversals, and extremely time consuming.
--------------------------------------
Notes:
I'm sure there will be some question about funding generally in this TL, so...
Can you imagine the joy around Heathrow if people are deafened due to freight aircraft - not even flying people away on holiday!
Nope - but stay tuned!
By Dr Neil Clifton; Bradford Forster Square prior to renovation.
The West Yorkshire PTE was one of the latter PTEs to be legally set up in the country, despite the numbers planned and therefore amongst the last to gain actual powers to regulate and organise local transport. It inherited a patchwork of routes which had managed to survive the 1960s cuts, although the several local authorities had safeguarded several of the routes against ruin in hope of the future - a situation rare in the UK. The metropolitan county differed from many others in being extremely polycentric; rather than having a single major city at it's heart like Greater Manchester, Merseyside or even Tyneside, West Yorkshire consisted of one larger city (Leeds), and 4 other major cities / towns (Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield & Wakefield). Many local stations had been closed in favour of trying to speed up services to make them financially sustainable, and other stations or routes had only been kept open by the sheer force of will of local campaigning groups. The news of a major scheme of power station construction, using trainload coal, was both a major win for the local area and for British Rail where the freight services would help cover costs.
The 1970s was also a time for regeneration in the area. Leeds was in mid-transition from it's industrial era to the modern era with financial services especially centering in Leeds - Yorkshire Bank, First Direct and White Rose Building Societies are all headquartered in the city. Bradford also made significant investments in the time, with a focus on transport rationalisation to save on operating expenses - the "Bradford Crossrail" project. The history of the project dates back to almost the 19th century, with an almost constant string of pursued projects to link Bradford's two main stations together. However, given the relentless squeeze on finances, it was quickly recognised that a single Bradford station could save money, simplify operations (avoiding both the operational complexity of reversals on both sides of Bradford and the time penalties associated with such operations), as well as avoid the need to build further platforms at Shipley for Skipton to Leeds services (to avoid reversals as well). Freight could also benefit; the complex network of junctions to the west of Leeds had only become worse with the closure of Leeds Central station and rationalisation to serve Leeds (City) station, and a cross-Bradford route would provide a lesser congested route across the conurbation.
Exchange station was constructed during 1850, and was definitely looking worse for wear; it's 10 platforms were now well under-used considering the large drop in passenger numbers since World War 2. The two arched roofs needed substantial renovation work, the approach tracks were tight-curved and then steeply graded, with little time to accelerate before the slopes began. Forster Square, on the other hand, dated from 1890 and was in much better condition, and had recently received a parcels depot at the station. It's 6 platforms was the right size whilst leaving some room for a depot or further terminal platforms, and was at the end of a largely flat route from Shipley. With the then Bradford Corporation quickly looking to centralise bus services on a central point, Forster Square was to become Bradford's main station, connected to the south via a viaduct across the city centre - which was being flattened for rebuild anyway by the Bradford authorities.
By Alan Longbottom; Bradford Exchange during demolition works.
Construction works began in 1972 with the West Yorkshire PTE in it's infancy - acting as the project's co-chief promoter, but unable to fund it until it gained it's legal powers. The project received funding from the Bradford Corporation, a significant central Government grant for reducing the British Rail operation subsidy, and of course from British Rail itself. Works took longer than expected, mostly due to a last minute disagreement with the Bradford Corporation about where to site a central bus station, with the Corporation seeking significant land at the new station which was now planned for Parcels operations at the new through station as well as a small depot. The bus station eventually ended up sited underneath much of the new viaduct at the former Exchange rail station, where a funding disagreement ironically meant no rail station would exist despite the site's former status. Bus links now run past the new Forster Square station, but the main bus station remains at arms length from the railway station. The renovated Forster Square station opened in March 1978, with an island platform serving 2 tracks in either direction, and a central parcels platform for trains in either direction, a feature which continues to exist today to serve Royal Mail destinations within the Borough of Bradford.
Train services were immediately altered, although not perhaps in the most efficient manner; services to/from the Skipton direction now passed through Bradford Forster Square before operating to Leeds via New Pudsey. Equally,services from Halifax passed through Forster Square in the opposite direction, and then continued to Leeds via Shipley. Both routes were pre-existing, and the merely swapped the Bradford-Leeds routes between them, thereby avoiding any need to reverse, and allowing simpler operation for the Manchester services which were increasingly operated with locomotive hauled stock - a nightmare for train reversals, and extremely time consuming.
--------------------------------------
Notes:
I'm sure there will be some question about funding generally in this TL, so...
- Electrification is a little more widespread, as a result of not so much diesel traction investment (and waste due to the amount of poor locos which were produced).
- London's Jubilee was under construction by mid 1970s, but here the Beck Line will begin construction in 1980.
- Manchester has received it's underground service, but Liverpool has not.
- Newcastle has it's North East Metro.
- Bradford Crossrail is under construction, along with gently electrification continuing as BR has not squandered so much Modernisation '55 cash (thus destroying it's reputation with the Treasury), and also aimed at reducing long term operating subsidies. 1 station is much cheaper to run than 2 stations, ignoring any other desirability benefits on the train services themselves for reducing travel times. Bradford OTL swept away the area between the stations anyway in the 1970s, so the situation seems ripe for the link.
Can you imagine the joy around Heathrow if people are deafened due to freight aircraft - not even flying people away on holiday!
So no Western Approach Road in Edinburgh then. Bit of a pain ITTL if you have to go from my work to the city centre before the trams.
Nope - but stay tuned!
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1979-Hope Valley
Devvy
Donor
Railpedia entry for Hope Valley Line.
The Dales Trail
The Hope Valley, and much of the surrounding routes, date back well in to the 19th century in common with most of British Rail. In the 1950s and 1960s however, traffic dropped rapidly as passengers switched to using cars - especially prevalent on the more remote areas of the lines where passenger services were never particularly well utilised anyhow. The Beeching Reforms saw several routes in the area cut several routes in the area, including the Ashbourne Line from Buxton to Uttoxeter and High Lane to Macclesfield routes. The core service between Manchester and South Yorkshire (Sheffield) and the East Midlands (Derby/Nottingham) was also put in danger with British Rail looking for further efficiency cuts; it was only the dogged nature of the locals in resisting the cuts which led to British Rail opting to keep the route open and instead run down the Woodhead Route. Freight services would instead run from the South Yorkshire coalfields to Fiddlers Ferry via steeply graded Hope Valley Route, whilst the Derbyshire Dales quarries would also continue to ship their freight out via rail.
However, the multitude of lines, especially around southern Manchester led to further cuts in the 1970s. New Mills lost it's link to the Hope Valley Line, and became (along with Hayfield) just the last stops of the Manchester suburban services. The big cut was allowed by a special grant from Westminster, to allow with "efficiency savings" for British Rail, which was largely used to make connections between routes and allow the removal of duplicated routes - which was largely what happened here to the chagrin of the locals who were directly served by nearby stations. Much of the Buxton line would close, with a new connection at Chapel-en-le-Frith on the Hope Valley spur, allowing trains to continue serving Buxton. Whaley Bridge and Disley were the main victims of the cuts, in which the line finally shut in 1973, with services to Buxton moved across in 1972. A short extension of electrification from Stockport to Buxton allowed electric trains to operate as well for the first time, which aided with journey times. Electrification was not funded for the remainder of the routes to Sheffield and Derby however, although this was later completed in the 21st Century.
The closure of the line however - aided by the fact High Lane was still served by the Manchester suburban services - allowed a domino effect of other routes to be rationalised. A new chord at Hazel Grove allowed longer-distance services to call at Stockport, and also allowed access to the Stockport & Altrincham route to bypass the busy central Manchester area - which also now carried BR services from Manchester Piccadilly to Altrincham and beyond now, following the conversion of the primary route to Manchester's new urban rail network. Coal trains to Fiddlers Ferry could then continue via the Cadishead Viaduct - which will soon need significant renovation works - to access the power station (*1). The almost "in-one-piece" former rail route was leased as a whole by Derbyshire County Council and Greater Manchester together - by the late 1970s, it was Government policy to not allow British Rail to sell rail lands that could form routes, although surplus land could still be sold off. Former rail routes were usually required to be kept by British Rail, along with the maintenance of structures, although in this case ministerial approval came to lease the route to the county councils such that it could be used for leisure activities.
The "Dales Trail" now stretches along the route, and is a mix of tarmaced sections and crushed stone surfaces, suitable for cyclists, walkers and horse-riders, now with several picnic sections en route in the former station areas. Many of the former station buildings now act as shops or cafes along the popular and well-used route, and the roughly 20 mile route from Cheadle to Buxton is now used annually over the late May bank holiday for a charity bike race (the "Belt Through the Dales", or colloquial "Buxton Belt"). British Rail's continuing leasehold of the line has also allowed negotiations and subsequent installation of fibre optic cables from Stockport to several towns and villages between there and Buxton, allowing the transition of these smaller settlesments and rural homes to join the "Digital Decade".
Nowadays, cross-country regional trains ply the main routes across the region from Liverpool and Manchester, to Sheffield, Doncaster and Hull on one branch, and Derby, Nottingham, Lincoln and Grimsby on the other branch. The Manchester Metro has now reached New Mills & Hayfield, absorbing those routes and releasing British Rail from the maintenance - ironically bringing the Manchester Metro out of Greater Manchester and in to Derbyshire.
One of the tunnels on the route
-----------------------------
Something a bit off piste this time, but still showing BR is still looking to cut routes where possible in to the 1970s - particularly where there is route duplication. Some other little snippets; the eagle eyes will have noticed mentions of the Manchester Metro reaches to the south-east of the city, that's something we'll cover in future. Cadishead Viaduct is still carrying trains, primarily coal trains for Fiddlers Ferry which still operates. The route from Buxton SE to Ambergate still operates. However, obviously a large section of the Buxton line has been closed as it's now accessible via Chapel-en-le-Frith (north-to-east connection where the lines used to cross in ATL, or where they still cross in OTL) next to CELF OTL station. This also allows CELF to retain it's Chapel-en-le-Frith Central station which is in a much better location.
Pictures are from the Tissington Trail which runs south of Buxton through the Dales....with the name of the tunnel removed from the sign in the lower picture
(*1) Fiddlers Ferry is here accessible directly from Warrington Central-Liverpool line, rather than just Warrington Bank Quay-Liverpool South as per OTL.
The Dales Trail
The Hope Valley, and much of the surrounding routes, date back well in to the 19th century in common with most of British Rail. In the 1950s and 1960s however, traffic dropped rapidly as passengers switched to using cars - especially prevalent on the more remote areas of the lines where passenger services were never particularly well utilised anyhow. The Beeching Reforms saw several routes in the area cut several routes in the area, including the Ashbourne Line from Buxton to Uttoxeter and High Lane to Macclesfield routes. The core service between Manchester and South Yorkshire (Sheffield) and the East Midlands (Derby/Nottingham) was also put in danger with British Rail looking for further efficiency cuts; it was only the dogged nature of the locals in resisting the cuts which led to British Rail opting to keep the route open and instead run down the Woodhead Route. Freight services would instead run from the South Yorkshire coalfields to Fiddlers Ferry via steeply graded Hope Valley Route, whilst the Derbyshire Dales quarries would also continue to ship their freight out via rail.
However, the multitude of lines, especially around southern Manchester led to further cuts in the 1970s. New Mills lost it's link to the Hope Valley Line, and became (along with Hayfield) just the last stops of the Manchester suburban services. The big cut was allowed by a special grant from Westminster, to allow with "efficiency savings" for British Rail, which was largely used to make connections between routes and allow the removal of duplicated routes - which was largely what happened here to the chagrin of the locals who were directly served by nearby stations. Much of the Buxton line would close, with a new connection at Chapel-en-le-Frith on the Hope Valley spur, allowing trains to continue serving Buxton. Whaley Bridge and Disley were the main victims of the cuts, in which the line finally shut in 1973, with services to Buxton moved across in 1972. A short extension of electrification from Stockport to Buxton allowed electric trains to operate as well for the first time, which aided with journey times. Electrification was not funded for the remainder of the routes to Sheffield and Derby however, although this was later completed in the 21st Century.
The closure of the line however - aided by the fact High Lane was still served by the Manchester suburban services - allowed a domino effect of other routes to be rationalised. A new chord at Hazel Grove allowed longer-distance services to call at Stockport, and also allowed access to the Stockport & Altrincham route to bypass the busy central Manchester area - which also now carried BR services from Manchester Piccadilly to Altrincham and beyond now, following the conversion of the primary route to Manchester's new urban rail network. Coal trains to Fiddlers Ferry could then continue via the Cadishead Viaduct - which will soon need significant renovation works - to access the power station (*1). The almost "in-one-piece" former rail route was leased as a whole by Derbyshire County Council and Greater Manchester together - by the late 1970s, it was Government policy to not allow British Rail to sell rail lands that could form routes, although surplus land could still be sold off. Former rail routes were usually required to be kept by British Rail, along with the maintenance of structures, although in this case ministerial approval came to lease the route to the county councils such that it could be used for leisure activities.
The "Dales Trail" now stretches along the route, and is a mix of tarmaced sections and crushed stone surfaces, suitable for cyclists, walkers and horse-riders, now with several picnic sections en route in the former station areas. Many of the former station buildings now act as shops or cafes along the popular and well-used route, and the roughly 20 mile route from Cheadle to Buxton is now used annually over the late May bank holiday for a charity bike race (the "Belt Through the Dales", or colloquial "Buxton Belt"). British Rail's continuing leasehold of the line has also allowed negotiations and subsequent installation of fibre optic cables from Stockport to several towns and villages between there and Buxton, allowing the transition of these smaller settlesments and rural homes to join the "Digital Decade".
Nowadays, cross-country regional trains ply the main routes across the region from Liverpool and Manchester, to Sheffield, Doncaster and Hull on one branch, and Derby, Nottingham, Lincoln and Grimsby on the other branch. The Manchester Metro has now reached New Mills & Hayfield, absorbing those routes and releasing British Rail from the maintenance - ironically bringing the Manchester Metro out of Greater Manchester and in to Derbyshire.
One of the tunnels on the route
-----------------------------
Something a bit off piste this time, but still showing BR is still looking to cut routes where possible in to the 1970s - particularly where there is route duplication. Some other little snippets; the eagle eyes will have noticed mentions of the Manchester Metro reaches to the south-east of the city, that's something we'll cover in future. Cadishead Viaduct is still carrying trains, primarily coal trains for Fiddlers Ferry which still operates. The route from Buxton SE to Ambergate still operates. However, obviously a large section of the Buxton line has been closed as it's now accessible via Chapel-en-le-Frith (north-to-east connection where the lines used to cross in ATL, or where they still cross in OTL) next to CELF OTL station. This also allows CELF to retain it's Chapel-en-le-Frith Central station which is in a much better location.
Pictures are from the Tissington Trail which runs south of Buxton through the Dales....with the name of the tunnel removed from the sign in the lower picture
(*1) Fiddlers Ferry is here accessible directly from Warrington Central-Liverpool line, rather than just Warrington Bank Quay-Liverpool South as per OTL.
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Devvy
Donor
I find I prefer it, as it's a little more pleasant to read (and write!), it just gets very complicated quickly when trying to keep track of what you've committed yourself to "in the future". It also needs a touch of caution to make sure I don't overegg it too much; while there was certainly capacity to build and improve the rails in OTL (and a little more in this TL due to better track record of investments), there's only so much capacity to build tunnels, electrify and renovate, etc etc.
1980-Sleepers
Devvy
Donor
Excerpts from "The History of the Sleepers"
Built in the 1950s, the British Rail Mark 1 sleeper coaches were an improvement on what came before; an assorted group of pre-nationalisation coaches from the different groups, and rapidly becoming obsolete. The trains were the latest in a long line of sleeper trains, echoing a time when train travel was nowhere near as fast as today, and even short trips today would involve an overnight trip. Sleeper services used to cover the entire breadth of the country, with connections across the Irish Sea to Ireland (Larne & Dun Laoghaire).
The Mark 1 were largely successful on the wide sleeper network. The variety of sleeper coaches, sleeping either 1 (First Class) or 2 (Second Class) meant accommodation for either 11 or 22 per coach, and usually coupled to a few Mark 2 coaches to provide restaurant and lounge facilities, as well as seated facilities - the Scottish sleeper services concurrently served as standard trains along the remote Scottish highlands. A small fleet of sleeper services departed from Euston station in London late every night to a variety of destinations as well as Scotland - Stanraer (for ferry to Belfast), Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness, Aberdeen, Holyhead (for ferry to Dublin), whilst several sleeper services also departed from other London termini; services to Penzance, Swansea, Newcastle. Many were withdrawn in the 1970s, as financial constraints limited the replacement of ageing sleeper carriages, whilst the growth of the motorway network lured more and more passengers out from the trains and in to their cars.
The renewal of sleeper stock in the late 1970s owed as much to political pressures as anything else, and the act kept the sleeper services within the new Intercity sector of British Rail. The new faster daytime services to the Central Belt - London to Glasgow or Edinburgh were approaching 5 hours on a standard timetable - a huge improvement on decades gone by, made it possible for day trips to the opposing city. Significant demand remained for sleeper services from destinations north however, especially from Aberdeen where a booming oil and gas industry was rapidly growing. The new Mark 3 coaches were expensive, incorporating the latest technology in both an attempt to woo travellers, but also to prevent the type of issues that had afflicted services before - chiefly a fire on a sleeper train which had wet rags on an electric heater, which claimed the lives of 12 people.[1]
208 coaches were ordered [2], of various types - "Seat Sleepers", 1st Class Berth, Standard Berth, Dining Cars and Lounge Cars. This allowed the marshalling in to several semi-fixed formations for the intended long-term routes - London to Penzance, Milford Haven, Holyhead, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Fort William, Aberdeen and Edinburgh, pressured by both the Scottish Office and Parliament itself in to retaining the Sleeper routes for economic benefit, despite the cost to British Rail and expectation for the sector to avoid subsidy (being part of the Intercity sector). The trains were grouped in to pairs, to operate each night in each direction between the two termini of the 5 main new rebranded sleeper routes:
Later on, in the late 1980s reformation of British Rail saw the dropping of the smaller vestigial routes; Newcastle, Stanraer and Barrow all finally lost their services during this time. Inventive if nothing else however, British Rail sought other uses for the stock, and a new agreement with SNCF for the Channel Tunnel would see sleeper services from Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham directly to Paris[7]. Further rationalisation of the sleeper service occurred in the 2000s; ever decreasing journey times to get to London, with Glasgow and Edinburgh to London now taking under 4 hours led to a decline in demand for sleeper services. The result was a combined Scottish sleeper service (retaining the "Night Highlander" name), which ran via a combination of the routes, and operating to Inverness via Aberdeen.
The South Welsh sleeper service finally met it's demise in 1997 - as ever a victim of quicker standard daytime journeys. Although British Rail expressed interest in further European sleeper services in collaboration with other WEWG members, the operational difficulties of secure borders between the British & Irish Common Travel Area and the Continental European Schengen Area made such a proposition almost impossible apart from the existing "Gare d'Anglais" at the Gare du Nord in Paris. The coaches were finally sold off abroad, with many making their way to the scrap. The only train service which expanded it's operations in this style was the privately operated "Orient Express" services - now extended via the Channel Tunnel to commence operations from London directly, and aimed firmly at the affluent leisure travel market, and the American tourist market in particular.
---------------
Notes
[1] The Taunton sleeping carriage fire
[2] BR did order 208 Mark 3 sleeping carriages, but here they will be made better use of.
[3] Carlisle to Edinburgh via the still open Waverley Line.
[4] Motherwell, as well as Whiffet, serving the Glaswegian market by direct connections with the Strathclyde metro network.
[5] Only for tourists, who come for the Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch station signage.
[6] Formerly Fishguard for the Dublin ferry service, but switched to Milford Haven for the Pembrokeshire tourist traffic.
[7] The Nightstar sleeper service.
Built in the 1950s, the British Rail Mark 1 sleeper coaches were an improvement on what came before; an assorted group of pre-nationalisation coaches from the different groups, and rapidly becoming obsolete. The trains were the latest in a long line of sleeper trains, echoing a time when train travel was nowhere near as fast as today, and even short trips today would involve an overnight trip. Sleeper services used to cover the entire breadth of the country, with connections across the Irish Sea to Ireland (Larne & Dun Laoghaire).
The Mark 1 were largely successful on the wide sleeper network. The variety of sleeper coaches, sleeping either 1 (First Class) or 2 (Second Class) meant accommodation for either 11 or 22 per coach, and usually coupled to a few Mark 2 coaches to provide restaurant and lounge facilities, as well as seated facilities - the Scottish sleeper services concurrently served as standard trains along the remote Scottish highlands. A small fleet of sleeper services departed from Euston station in London late every night to a variety of destinations as well as Scotland - Stanraer (for ferry to Belfast), Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness, Aberdeen, Holyhead (for ferry to Dublin), whilst several sleeper services also departed from other London termini; services to Penzance, Swansea, Newcastle. Many were withdrawn in the 1970s, as financial constraints limited the replacement of ageing sleeper carriages, whilst the growth of the motorway network lured more and more passengers out from the trains and in to their cars.
The renewal of sleeper stock in the late 1970s owed as much to political pressures as anything else, and the act kept the sleeper services within the new Intercity sector of British Rail. The new faster daytime services to the Central Belt - London to Glasgow or Edinburgh were approaching 5 hours on a standard timetable - a huge improvement on decades gone by, made it possible for day trips to the opposing city. Significant demand remained for sleeper services from destinations north however, especially from Aberdeen where a booming oil and gas industry was rapidly growing. The new Mark 3 coaches were expensive, incorporating the latest technology in both an attempt to woo travellers, but also to prevent the type of issues that had afflicted services before - chiefly a fire on a sleeper train which had wet rags on an electric heater, which claimed the lives of 12 people.[1]
208 coaches were ordered [2], of various types - "Seat Sleepers", 1st Class Berth, Standard Berth, Dining Cars and Lounge Cars. This allowed the marshalling in to several semi-fixed formations for the intended long-term routes - London to Penzance, Milford Haven, Holyhead, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Fort William, Aberdeen and Edinburgh, pressured by both the Scottish Office and Parliament itself in to retaining the Sleeper routes for economic benefit, despite the cost to British Rail and expectation for the sector to avoid subsidy (being part of the Intercity sector). The trains were grouped in to pairs, to operate each night in each direction between the two termini of the 5 main new rebranded sleeper routes:
- "The Night Scotsman": London to Inverness, via Carlisle, Edinburgh[3], Dundee and Aberdeen.
- "The Night Highlander": London to Mallaig, via Carlisle, Motherwell[4], Stirling and Fort William.
- "The Night Mon": London to Holyhead, via Crewe, Chester, Bangor and Llanfairpwll[5].
- "The Night Dyfed": London to Milford Haven[6], via Reading, Cardiff, Llanelli and Haverfordwest.
- "The Night Riviera": London to Penzance, via Reading, Exeter, Plymouth and Truro.
Later on, in the late 1980s reformation of British Rail saw the dropping of the smaller vestigial routes; Newcastle, Stanraer and Barrow all finally lost their services during this time. Inventive if nothing else however, British Rail sought other uses for the stock, and a new agreement with SNCF for the Channel Tunnel would see sleeper services from Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham directly to Paris[7]. Further rationalisation of the sleeper service occurred in the 2000s; ever decreasing journey times to get to London, with Glasgow and Edinburgh to London now taking under 4 hours led to a decline in demand for sleeper services. The result was a combined Scottish sleeper service (retaining the "Night Highlander" name), which ran via a combination of the routes, and operating to Inverness via Aberdeen.
The South Welsh sleeper service finally met it's demise in 1997 - as ever a victim of quicker standard daytime journeys. Although British Rail expressed interest in further European sleeper services in collaboration with other WEWG members, the operational difficulties of secure borders between the British & Irish Common Travel Area and the Continental European Schengen Area made such a proposition almost impossible apart from the existing "Gare d'Anglais" at the Gare du Nord in Paris. The coaches were finally sold off abroad, with many making their way to the scrap. The only train service which expanded it's operations in this style was the privately operated "Orient Express" services - now extended via the Channel Tunnel to commence operations from London directly, and aimed firmly at the affluent leisure travel market, and the American tourist market in particular.
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Notes
[1] The Taunton sleeping carriage fire
[2] BR did order 208 Mark 3 sleeping carriages, but here they will be made better use of.
[3] Carlisle to Edinburgh via the still open Waverley Line.
[4] Motherwell, as well as Whiffet, serving the Glaswegian market by direct connections with the Strathclyde metro network.
[5] Only for tourists, who come for the Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch station signage.
[6] Formerly Fishguard for the Dublin ferry service, but switched to Milford Haven for the Pembrokeshire tourist traffic.
[7] The Nightstar sleeper service.
I love the Caledonian Sleeper of @, so glad to see it doing well here. Do also like the idea of the Nightstar running.
Will there be an update on Motorail?
Will there be an update on Motorail?
Devvy
Donor
I’ve been trying to figure out what future Motorail could have. It needs to serve a good market and be economical without lorries (due to loading gauges). The only real possibilities post motorway network opening I think are London area to somewhere like Stirling, London area to Redruth (Cornwall), or northern England to Europe. And even then I’m not sure if they are economical or not. The only other thought I have is London Olympia to somewhere in Brittany.
The double deck car wagons are great in theory, but apparently wouldn’t take a Citroen Picasso (compact SUV) due to height restrictions, so as soon as Chelsea tractors become popular, then your target market can’t get on the train unless you have single deck wagon which hampers the business case.
Still wrangling with this!
Devvy
Donor
Sorry to say (wasn't quite as clear as it should have been...might do a pt2), but the Fort William sleeper hasn't survived, and instead directly connects to the main Scottish sleeper. One of those spots where this TL is worse than OTL!