Great Western Coffee Shop

Here is the first of the letters among my Dad's papers I mentioned in another thread, and yes I know it predates the 50s and indeed me. I don't have a copy of the one my Dad sent, but I think it's content is obvious enough from this reply. I don't know which date he chose - but the outward journey was on Saturday 25th June at 7:5 p.m. arriving Aberdeen at 7:39 a.m.

Presumably these berths would be in separate compartments, each single sex - and my Mum would have my big brother with her, though at two and a bit he was hardly a babe in arms.

And again, in 1950, this time the down Aberdeen sleeper was full. We did take the 6:55 p.m. to Aberdeen, arrival at 7:3 a.m., and returned on the 6:45 p.m. train on Saturday 16th to arrive at Kings Cross at 7:45 a.m. With (very) little me, and my brother now over three, I do wonder how two berths would be adequate.

Now in their new house, with a telephone (not that common in 1950), it was possible to make reservations by phone (TER 4700 for Kings Cross) and then confirm and pay by post. Using only the post it would be rather slow and cumbersome.

This is a sleeper berth receipt from 1959, which came with the berth tickets. As you can see they cost 14/- each, still the fare in the old four-berth compartments in 1962 - the newer two-berth compartments then cost 22/6, and the last 4-berth compartment stock can't have lasted much longer.

This time we went out later, at 10:15 p.m. on Tuesday 18th August and returning on the 8:30 p.m. ex Aberdeen on Thursday 3rd September. The receipt for the return trip had all our names listed, but still didn't say how they were distributed in compartments; presumably that was only on the actual berth tickets.

This is a timetable enquiry, 1960-style. Now, just think how much is saved in staff costs getting you and a few computers to do all that themselves! That should make fares a lot cheaper ...

And finally - 1960 was the year my sister got mumps, right at the start of school summer holidays, so we never went to Weston-super-Mare. Note that even this little slip isn't a form to fill in, but another typed letter.

I just came across this, and it sort of fits here as another bit of vicarious nostalgia, perhaps. My mum kept a few pages from some of her old school (Northgate School for Girls) magazines, mainly ones with 'news of "old girls"'. This is the ending of a contribution from 1934, which explains itself:

"There is one disadvantage of Edinburgh however, a student from Ipswich need not expect many week-ends at home during term, since the train journey takes between ten and eleven hours.

Roll on an efficient and inexpensive air transport service!"

Well, as it happens the time by train is now (says Journey Planner) under six hours, if you pick one with good connections at Peterborough (and perhaps York). Flying might be a bit quicker, but not a lot on this route. 

Things have indeed moved on in 86 years.   In my youth, there was even a through train (overnight) from Glasgow to Colchester, which would have offered Doris or Mildred direct travel from Edinburgh to Ipswich, though whether that was a relic of history or a transient service, I do not know.  And "today" - though not sure about this year - direct flights from both Stansted and Norwich to Edinburgh.

There is no doubt that in spite of the acceleration of trains, many very long distance journeys with a significant cross country element have lost out for the traveller who ranks "fast journey" high up the list lost to air.  Be than Ipswich to Inverkip, Exeter to Edinburgh or Dunmow to Dublin.   Where the acceleration has brought a massive shift and a huge (precovid) market is on intermediate distance traffic - which is perhaps why the long-distance infrequent hardly-stopping pattern has been replaced by hourly trains still covering the same long distances, but now with anything from a handful to a dozen intermediate calls at each of which there is a substantial passenger turnover.   The replacement of a kettle on the front by an electric moron under the carriages (whether powered from an overhead cable or a diesel engine also under the carriage), and of doors that can be centrally closed, has shortened station stops and replaced the palaver of getting the train moving again with a routine operation.

Be honest now, how many of you, like me, just googled "electric moron", to see if it was a thing?  ;D

As a result, this gave me 3 minutes of sunshine on a decidley rainy day:

One of the little things that says "old ways" in those letters is the way they present the time, eg 7.5 am rather than 7:05.