LT&SR Enthusiasts.myfreeforum.org

supersonicade · Joined: 26 Jun 2007 Posts: 3 Location: London / Grays

(Hi Admin, thanks for the welcome to the group!)

You all may have noticed that the latter-day "Blue Pullman" set, resident at East Ham Depot for most of the time since its "re-creation" in late 2005, has operated a couple of excursions starting from the LTS, typically Southend Central, Basildon, Upminster, and Barking, to the 'wide world beyond', such as York or similar. Indeed, there's one such , open for bookings, to Lincoln for the Christmas Market, this December.

This causes me to recall part of the BR era, when such things - though rather less up-market - were relatively commonplace. My recollections start in the mid-1970s, when such excursions were run by BR itself, and called "Happy Wanderers" or "Merrymakers". By then it was the BR Blue / Grey era, and the trains were invariably about 10 coaches, all TSOs (Tourist Second Opens) except for a brake coach at one end and, if you were lucky, a buffet car (occasionally, a GRESLEY buffet!). Traction was almost invariably a '47' (Brush Type 4) from Stratford depot, though on one occasion - possibly due to weight restrictions on the Skegness line? - a '37' (English Electric Type 3) was provided.

They invariably started at Shoeburyness, and picked up also at Southend Central, Benfleet, and Barking, plus either Basildon and Upminster (about 70%), or else Pitsea and Grays (the rest).

Destinations I recall going to, without looking up my records, included Dawlish / Teignmouth, and Portsmouth (for Isle of Wight), as well as aforementioned Skegness (though this was a 'mystery tour'!); there would have been many others which I didn't bother with (having already been by other means).

As well as the travel to new destinations themselves, the particular added atraction, for a rail enthusiast, was the opportunity to travel over routes and links in the London area which didn't (and in many cases still don't ) have a normal passenger train service. Particularly frequently used were, of course:
(Barking Flyover) - Woodgrange Park - Forest Gate;
Stratford - Dalston Junction (now sees North London Line trains);
Upper Holloway [on the then Barking - Kentish Town route] to Gospel Oak [on the North London Line], where the passenger service now goes;
Upper Holloway to West Hampstead [on the St Pancras - Derby route], thence from Cricklewood to Acton;
Willesden Junction High Level - Kensington Olympia - Clapham Junction area (which also now has regular service).

These petered out in the 1980s, but one of the last was very much a 'special amongst specials' - an Inter City 125 from the LTS route through to York (it was originally to be Edinburgh but meanwhile Penmanshiel tunnel collapsed so an alternative destination was chosen).

Happy days!

More stuff to come...