(From Our London Correspondent.)

It would seem that in the present year the Home railways are setting up new standards for travel luxury. What rank as the most luxurious passenger coaches ever put on the road are a number of unique first-class carriages, introduced by the London and North Eastern Railway in its far-famed “Flying Scotsman” service between King's Cross Station, London, and Edinburgh. This run, by the way, is again being performed non-stop between London and Edinburgh (392¼ miles) by the employment of locomotives fitted with a corridor tender.

The new first-class cars on the “Flying Scotsman” have no outside compartment doors, access being obtained at either end of the carriages, each of which contain six compartments, four for smokers and two for non-smokers. The compartments are reached by a side corridor, and the interior decorations are electric-blue for the smoking compartments, and rose for the non-smoking. The corridors are carpeted in fawn, with sponge rubber beneath. Fully sprung separate arm-chairs are provided for each passenger, the angle of the seats and backs being adjustable. Each compartment accommodates six passengers. Opposite the sliding door from the corridor, each compartment has a large window of Vita glass. Foot-stools add to the comfort of the passenger, and the windows are draped with side curtains to match the colour of the upholstery. The two toilet compartments in each car are equipped with dressing-tables and full-length mirrors. A special feature is the “Thermo Reg” system of pressure ventilation installed, which, at the will of the passengers, permits of a flow of warm or cold filtered air being passed through the compartment.

New Observation Cars.

Until recently, comparatively few observation cars were employed on the Home railways. This year the Great Western Railway has put into traffic observation cars of a novel type which promise to be greatly appreciated by travellers. The new cars take the form of saloons, built with bowed observation ends. Each car is 60ft. in length, and is divided into an ordinary first-class compartment, page 39 two saloons, one of these being for use as a drawing-room and the other for dining, and in addition a kitchen, pantry and lavatory. The first-class compartment provides seats for six persons. The drawing-room portion, which accommodates nine, is furnished with two comfortable settees, three upholstered chairs, a writing-table with electric reading lamp, and mirrors. The dining saloon has fourteen upholstered chairs, three large and two small baize-covered tables, with an electric standing lamp on each. In this saloon, also, for the convenience of waiters, there is a serving table with cupboards underneath. The kitchen is operated by gas, and, for cleanliness, the walls are of stainless steel sheets.

The interior finishing of the new Great Western observation car is in highly polished walnut. The upholstery is figured moquette (brown and black on a beige background), and the floors are covered with brown Saxony carpet. Suspension type gangways are fitted, and the cars have steel outside body panels. Altogether, the new cars are a most attractive addition to Great Western rolling stock.

Car Parks For Rail Users.

The Underground Railways of London, noting that road users lost much valuable time in passing through the congested streets of the metropolis, determined to win back much of the passenger business they had lost by a clever scheme for the provision of car parks and garages at certain of their outlying stations. Now, instead of the motorist driving direct from his home in the suburbs to the centre of London, he usually drives in his car to the nearest Underground station, parks his vehicle there until the return at night, and continues the journey by railway, speedily and without hold-ups of any kind.

Following the lead of the Underground, the main-line railways now are providing car parks at their depots. The London, Midland and Scottish line has arranged for the parking of private motor cars at upwards of 200 passenger stations and 400 goods depots. The charges are one shilling per day for cars and sixpence for motor-cycles, except in certain rural areas, where the charges are sixpence and threepence respectively. The receipts in connection with this arrangement are steadily growing month by month.

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