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London Letter.

From our own Correspondent.

“Oh, to be in England,
Now that April's there,
And whoever wakes in England,
Sees, some morning, unaware,
That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf;
While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough
In England—now!”—Browning.

When Robert Browning, in his “Home Thoughts from Abroad,” told of the joys of a British April, he had certainly no thought of the railway. The coming of Easter, however, is marked not only by vast activities in the domain of Dame Nature, but also by the first big passenger movement of the season on the Home railways. From London and the big provincial centres there are operated short and long-date passenger services innumerable to coast and country resorts, and everywhere especially heavy demands are made upon railway workers.

Excursion Traffic.—This year promises to top all previous records in the volume of passenger business handled by the four British group railways. Trade is now improving steadily, and the travel demands of Easter holidaymakers will be met by short and long-distance excursions, conveying passengers at fares as low as a farthing per mile, and providing in many instances fast service with refreshment car facilities such as were once limited to the principal main-line ordinary trains.

Long-distance express excursion trains, composed of modern vestibuled stock with refreshment-car accommodation, have recently become a feature in Britain. It has been found that a warm welcome is given day and half-day travel of this character, provided cheap fares are placed at the public disposal; and the possibilities thus afforded the railways of building up revenues and meeting the competition of the road carriers are being very fully explored. The systematic advertising of these luxury services at excursion rates has recently resulted in the running, from many cities to London and the leading sea-side resorts, of as many as ten fully loaded special trains on a single Saturday or Sunday.

Long distance Business.—Recognising that under conditions such as prevail in Britain, it is in long-distance business that the greatest hope is held cut of swelling passenger revenues, the group lines are to-day devoting much attention to the improvement of their trunk services. By the London, Midland and Scottish Company there is under consideration the operation of non-stop trains over the 400 mile run between Euston Station, London, and Glasgow. This move is being rendered possible by the provision of additional water-troughs on the tracks, to facilitate the taking-up of water by locomotives at speed, and rendering stop for watering purposes unnecessary.

At present the longest non-stop journey in Britain is the 226½ miles run of the Great Western Company between Paddington Station, London, and Plymouth. Experimental non-stop runs over other routes, of as long as 300 miles, have at various times been conducted, but the Paddington-Playmouth service continues the record for regular daily booked trains.

Of all British express long-distance services, probably the London and North Eastern Anglo Scottish trains to and from King's Cross Station, London, top the time-bills. There are one or two south-country passenger trains which slightly surpass the Anglo-Scottish services in point of speed, but for all-round reliability the London-York-Edinburgh runs are unique. In recently giving to the night sleeping car trains from King's Cross to Edinburgh the distinctive titles of “Highlandman,” “Aberdonian” and “Night Scotsman,” the L. & N.E.R. set the hall-mark on three remarkable trains which, as mere numerals in the time-tables, had for long rendered rare service.

Trains and Names.—This custom of trainnaming is an especially happy one. It conjures up visions of the good old days when the passing of the gaily-decorated stage-coaches, with their titles of “Royal George,” “the Vulture,” “Rightaway,” and so on, filled the roads with romance. Better still, it gives to crack express trains an individuality all of their won, and holds out to the passenger contemplating a journey in these [gap — reason: water damage] page 15 Georges” of to-day, the assurance of speedy comfortable and safe travel of the highest order.

Train-naming is never vulgarised in Britain. In almost every instance named trains have long records of public service behind them, and their apt titles provide a fitting tribute to their quality. One of the earliest titled trains was the “Flying Dutehman,” intreduced on the old Great Western broad-gauge tracks in 1864; but probably the pioneer of the named train of to-day was the “Southern Belle” of the former Brighton Company, put into service in 1908 between Victoria Station, London, and the south coast. Described as “the handsomest train in the world,” the “Southern Belle” all-Pullman train set up a new standard in travel luxury, and paved the way for the unique all-Pullman long-distance services of to-day.

Railway Side Lines.—A modern railway is a wonderfully complex undertaking. In their infancy railways merely existed as track providers for outside organisations to operate upon. Then came the day when the railways themselves began to run trains over their lines, and dispensed with the services of the outside carriers. By degrees other activities were embarked upon. Hotels and refreshment rooms sprang up; dock systems were constructed; hug; railway-owned steamship fleets came into being; and to-day a score of subsidiary businesses are embraced under the head of railway working.

The British railways have made a strong point of steamship acquisition and development, with excellent results. As feeders to the railway proper these railway-owned shipping lines are of great value, while proving in themselves profitable undertakings.

Britain's biggest railway shipowners are the Southern and London and North Eastern lines. Almost all the chief continental ports are linked up by these steamers, and by far the bulk of passangers reaching England from the continent catch their first glimpse of the white cliffs of Albion from the decks of railwayowned vessels. Between the coast and London fast boat trains are operated. Renewal of bridges on the Dover-London tracks has enabled the Southern line to run special boat trains hauled by new 4-6-0 type locomotives, capable of drawing 425 ton trains over the 76½ miles between coast and capital in 95 minutes.

Rates.—Railway rate-making was ever the most arduous of tasks. After five years of labour, the new schedules of standard charges which are to operate on all the group lines have been officially approved by the Railway Rates Tribunal, established under the grouping page 16 legislation of 1921. These schedules are framed with the intention of raising freight rates from fifty to sixty per cent. above pre-war, and their general effect is to increase existing charges by about six per cent.

It is calculated that, with efficient management, the revised rates will yield to the home railways their standard not revenues of 1913, plus certain agreed additions. An entirely new classification of merchandise into 21 distinct divisions has been approved, and the new mode of rating will come into operation on an “appointed day” as yet unfixed.

Continental progress.—Recent reports from Berlin speak eloquently of the rapid progress made by the new German railway company, run on business lines with finances entirely separated from the government, which was established under the Dawes' plan. The success of this, the biggest railway undertaking in the world, is undoubtedly one of the most striking features of post-war progress in Europe.

Germany's re-modelled railways embrace 33,000 miles of track, and include the whole of the railway systems previously owned by the individual states. Under the new regime, way and works have been brought up to an exceptionally high standard of maintenance; new stations, marshalling yards and sidings are being constructed to meet growing business; train services everywhere are being expanded; and ambitious electrification plans are actively progressing.

In main-line electrification, Germany has already converted from steam to electricity some 600 miles of track, while a further 500 miles of line are in process of conversion. The chief routes covered are in the Leipzig and Munich areas, and in the Silesia and Baden divisions. As standard for all German mainline electrification works, the single-phase alternating current system has been adopted, with a frequency of 16 2–3rds. Periods per second, and a line pressure on overhead trolley of 15,000 volts. Electric locomotives are utilized for train haulage, two types of machine being employed for fast passenger service. Two for ordinary passenger trains, and two for freight working. One type in each group is for haulage on mountain tracks, and the other on level routes. In suburban working there is proceeding the electrification of the Berlin city and suburban lines, with multiple unit trains worked on direct current at 800 volts delivered through track conductor rail.

Although it will be very many years before steam railways are entirely replaced by electricity, steady development of electrical haulage is proceeding throughout Europe. To Sweden goes credit for possessing the longest electrified railway on the continent, in the Iron Ore line, 300 miles long, in Northern Sweden. Last year the 285 mile line connecting Stockholm with Gothenburg was opened to electricity, and altogether Sweden now possesses 800 miles of electric railway.

Single phase current of 16 2-3rd. periods and 16,000 volts is favoured in Sweden. Electric locomotives weighing 78 tons haul passenger trains of 500 tons at a speed of 45 miles per hour, and the journey time between Stokholm and Gothenburg has been cut from nine to seven hours. Sweden is fortunate in possessing unlimited natural water-power resources: the harnessing of these fast-flowing streams is an outstanding feature of the electrification programme.

British Improvements.—With the stimulus given freight traffic movement by steadily improving trade, the British railways are devoting much attention to the betterment of their goods station accommodation at important points. Typical of their efforts in this direction is the building by the Great Western Company of an exceptionally commodious new goods station at Temple Meads, Bristol, to meet the demands of growing business. Over ninety years ago the Great Western was incorporated as a connecting line between London and Bristol. To-day the West Country port remains one of the most important points served by this go-ahead railway.

At Temple Meads there are handled annually about 500,000 tons of local traffic and 75,000 tons of tranships. The new depot will hold 750 wagons, of which 400 will be accommodated under cover. The main shed will be of steel and concrete construction, 630 feet in length and 400 feet wide. Seven double rail bays, eight 30ft. platforms and a 40 ft. end bench are being provided, as well as 26 electric capstans and 56 reels. Electric elevating trucks will be employed for barrowing merchandise on the platforms, while mobile petrol-electric cranes such as yearly grow in favour for goods station working, will be a feature of the warehouse equipment.

In the building-up of agriculture, railways play a vital role, and in England co-operation between the railway and farming interests in most intimate. With a view to agricultural stimulation, the Great Western and London and North Eastern Railways have recently introduced a praiseworthy farm collection and delivery service. This service is supplementary to that afforded by rail haulage proper. In page 17 certain selected areas, these companies have introduced road motor vehicles of varying capacities, for the delivery of seed and manure from railway station to farm, and the return conveyance from farm to rail of market produce of all varieties.

Co-operation and Economy.—In the new era which has been entered upon with the settlement of last year's Labour problems, railway men at Home are realising to an ever-increasing degree the need for intelligent co-operation with the railway management, and the importance of teamwork in every branch of railway activity. The fact that the interests of the employer and the employee are in almost every direction identical has been brought home to every thoughtful man, and the new spirit of enthusiastic endeavour thereby aroused augurs well for the future.

A point towards which one and all are to-day wisely striving is the exercise of economy in the use of railway materials and stores, and the reclamation of scrap material of every kind in carriage and wagon shops and similar establishments. The high material costs to-day ruling call for the expenditure of maximum effort in order to cut out wastage, and the enormous savings which can be effected by the exercise of intelligent economy render the conduct of an anti-waste campaign well worth while.

Little wastage to-day is recorded in the Home railway shops: here scrap reclamation has been reduced to a very fine art. Buffer rods, draw-bars, and similar equipment are used for just as long as they are servicable. Scrap axles, unfit for further service as such, are cut up into billets for the manufacture of draw-bar books. Bolts and nuts are carefully removed from condemned wagons and rescrewed and retapped for further use. In this way there are effected immense savings of material, and monthly records of economies effected, placed on view in the principal shops, serve to afford practical realisation by the individual employee of the utility of his efforts.