The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 6, Issue 8 (April 1, 1932.)

Our London Letter

Our London Letter

“During the year 1930 only one passenger was killed in train accidents on the Home railways, a safety record which is probably unique in railway annals, having regard to the immense business handled. The train mileage for the year was 424.2 millions, and the liability to casualty in the case of passengers was one in 1,684,000,000,” says our special London Correspondent, in an interesting reference in his current Letter to several famous British trains, and their world reputation for speed, comfort and safety.

The World's Fastest Train.

For various economic and other reasons there has been a tendency throughout the railway world to curtail exceptionally fast running of passenger trains during the past few years. Many trains running at abnormally low speeds, it is true, have been considerably accelerated, but few outstandingly fast timings have been introduced in any country.

Until recently the world's fastest start to stop run was credited to the Canadian Pacific Railway, with a train averaging 68.9 miles an hour. Now the Land of the Maple Leaf has to take second place in the world railway speed table, following new accelerated timings introduced on the Great Western Railway of Britain. The fastest daily train in the five continents is now the “Cheltenham Flyer,” covering the 77 ¾ miles between Swindon and Paddington Station, London, in 67 minutes, or a start to stop speed of 69.18 miles an hour.

The existing time-tables of the Home railways show some exceptionally fine passenger running. Trains like the “Flying Scotsman,” the “Royal Scot,” the “Atlantic Coast Express,” and the “Cornish Riviera Limited” have earned a worldwide reputation for speed, comfort and safety. During the next few months it seems likely many of these crack Home expresses will be considerably accelerated, but for all-round speedy running, the existing record of the Great Western Line will be hard to beat. In addition to operating the world's fastest train, the Great Western also claims to run the fastest night passenger train in the world. This is the 1.40 a.m. Paddington to Plymouth express, which covers the 225 ¾ miles in 265 minutes, an average throughout speed of 51.1 miles an hour. At present the Great Western time-tables feature no fewer than 53 passenger trains, covering 4,359 miles each week-day, travelling at start to stop speeds varying from 55 to 69 miles an hour, a really fine performance, of which any railway might well be proud.

Popularity of the Restaurant Car.

A particularly pleasing feature of the winter train time-tables of the Home railways is the very large number of restaurant cars that are being retained in service during the “off” season for tourist travel. Restaurant car service has grown immensely popular in Britain, and each of the four group railways operates its own catering department.

In the infancy of railways it was the custom in Britain—as it is to-day in America and other lands—to stop longdistance
A World-Famous British Passenger Train. The “Royal Scot” Express (L.M. and S. Railway) on Beattock Summit, near Carlisle.

A World-Famous British Passenger Train.
The “Royal Scot” Express (L.M. and S. Railway) on Beattock Summit, near Carlisle.

passenger trains at selected points for an interval sufficiently long to allow travellers to secure refreshments from the station restaurants. The provision of luncheon-baskets, packed in the railway restaurants and taken on to the trains by passengers, was the next step, and even to-day luncheon and tea baskets continue in great demand on the Home railways. In the case of long-distance travel, the station restaurant and the luncheon and tea basket have been replaced by the dining-car.

The old Great Northern was the first Home railway to introduce dining-cars. This was in 1879, between London and Leeds. The first dining-car accommodated nineteen persons. The kitchen had a coke stove, and oil lamps were employed for lighting. Until 1893 dining-cars in Britain were only available for the first-class passenger. In that year, however, the North Eastern, North British, and Great Northern lines put third-class diners into service in their joint through trains between King's Cross Station, London, and Scottish points. All-electric kitchens were put into this service in 1921. To-day dining-car service on the Home railways is in constant demand, and every year eight million meals are served in the Home railway diners.

Britain's Largest Train Control Installation.

Mainly with the object of increasing travel safety, the Home railways are by degrees introducing automatic train control on all their main lines. A lead in this campaign is set by the Great Western, which has just completed the installation
Aboard The “Queen Of Scots” Pullman. Dining car on the L. and N.E.R. “Queen of Scots” London-Edinburgh Express.

Aboard The “Queen Of Scots” Pullman.
Dining car on the L. and N.E.R. “Queen of Scots” London-Edinburgh Express.

of automatic control on its throughout main lines between London and Wolver-hampton, Swansea, and Plymouth. This represents the largest train control installation on any Home railway, no less than 2,130 miles of track and 2,500 locomotives having been equipped. This system gives audible warning to the driver of the state of the signal ahead, for in the event of a distant signal being passed at danger, the train is automatically stopped before it can reach the next stop signal.

The track installation consists of a steel bar, or ramp, 40ft in length, placed between the rails adjacent to the distant signal at a height of 3 1/4 inches above rail level. The lever which operates the distant signal is connected by wire electrically with the ramp. When the signal is in the danger position the ramp is dead, and when in the clear position the action of pulling the lever completes an electric circuit and causes the ramp to be energised. The locomotive has an iron shoe, the bottom of which is 2 1/2 inches above rail level. This makes contact with the ramp as the locomotive passes over. If the signal is at danger and the ramp dead, the action of lifting the shoe opens a valve on the vacuum brake apparatus, causing an application of the brakes throughout the train, and the sounding of a siren in the locomotive cab. On the other hand, should the signal be in the clear position, the ramp is energised, and the electric current passing through the shoe does not interfere with the vacuum brake, but rings an electric bell in the cab. The driver thus has two entirely distinct audible indications of the condition of the signals.