Thrup Knee Bit (mini blog 2)

Coronation To Edinburgh 

Not to be outdone, the London and North Eastern Railway started their celebration of the crowning of King George VI with a very similarly scheduled express.

It was a late afternoon departure hauled by blue A4 pacifics and with blue rolling stock but the LNER's coaches were purpose built.

The coaches were built as articulated pairs (four pairs, an eight coach train) and the gaps were fitted with almost full width connections to enhance the "streamlined" appearance; seen here in a model ...

... as views of the actual joins are ,apparently, unobtainable.

As was normal at the time, the train had a dedicated menu ...

... with dinner at a heady four shillings and six pence (22.5p, an expensive meal in 1937.)

... plus four pence for coffee, of course! The wine list was extensive!

But the best bit came in the summer months.

The celebrated observation car was added to the rear of the train.

The whole train was turned round via Edinburgh's suburban lines so that the carriages remained in the correct position and the observation car was always at the rear.

It had plush armchairs but the view from the back was disappointing unless you got a seat close to the rear. The beaver tail shape, designed to mirror the A4 Pacific at the front, brought the ceiling down too low for a good "observe".

The whole visual effect of the exterior was just stunning!

In a change of plans, there will be more on this coach in tomorrow's blog.

Coming Soon

Also coming up is an apparently "exciting" new service in Sheffield which actually started yesterday. Yes, it began operation on a Friday!

Snippet

Yet another fake private owner wagon from Rails. This type it is for an Artisan Beer from Sheffield (yes another artisan beer, almost as common as DRT bus services).

Sadly this does not come with a small can of Moonshine; all you get us a beer mat which may well become a raritpy for a dedicated tegestologist.

p

The beer sounds OK, though.

Shock and Silliness Snippet

First Bus adds to its current potty decisions ...

1. Fake-AI delivering Awfully Incompetent timetables

2. Replacing useful local liveries with a boring national standard

3. A weird service X6 in Sheffield

... with No 4, and the daftest yet ...

From a correspondent.

First have just announced to staff in Cornwall all open top routes are withdrawn this year.

Ridiculous.

It basically says they don't want  expensive open tops cluttering up space and finances for a few months a year when data shows that local people use the service more then tourists and as staycations fell last year the decision been made to run closed tops  on lands end coaster.

Spreadsheet management at its worst!

The concluding part of the Milton Keynes series of blogs including a full guide to "Loop" is postponed, slightly.

 Next Coronation mini blog : Sunday 19 Jan