'Sweltering carriages, overflowing toilets, clueless staff'

[John Ashworth]

Passengers packed into sweltering carriages, overflowing toilets, clueless staff and police called to quell a mutiny: My Bank Holiday nightmare on Britain's Third World railways which cost £125 a ticket for a 10-hour journey

[M. Hardy-Randall]

I cannot understand the British governments attitude to the major problem of passengers standing on trains. On buses serving the North East of Scotland it is illegal to run with passengers standing. The policy is simple, no seat no travel. Yet trains to the south and north are regularly seen leaving Aberdeen with a level of overcrowding that beggars belief. The conditions mentioned on the journey from Kings Cross are by no means unique and can be found on other routes. I get a feeling that TOCs' have a policy of: 'Why pay for six coaches with passenger comfort when you can get away with three!'

I was a regular passenger on the Southern Railway 'Atlantic Coast Express' from Waterloo to North Devon, and in the holiday season I would never know which train I would travel on as a relief train would be run if the normal service was full, and three 'ACEs' was not unknown. Ah, the joy of a high speed run behind a Merchant Navy or West Country locomotive!

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[John Ashworth]

I certainly agree that not enough is being done to address capacity issues. However my rose-tinted memories are also tempered somewhat by my travels between London and Durham in the early 1970s when I was a student, and I often found myself standing in a crowded corridor or vestibule for the whole length of that journey, which I seem to recall was three or four hours in those days before electrification. Mind you, travelling behind a Deltic made it all seem worthwhile!

[M. Hardy-Randall]

I agree that overcrowding goes back a long way. Do you remember the Clapham train crash which involved an overcrowded train, and the politicians shouted from the roof tops that this system was going to change on that it was guaranteed.

For overcrowding may I take you back to the late 40s', the scene is Edinburgh the time 05:50 and the train consisting of 15 coaches with an A4 at the head. There is one stop en-route to London and that is Newcastle. The problem is that the services are going on Easter holiday and have congregated from bases as far apart as Scapa Flow and Aberdeen, and everybody is determined to get home as quickly as possible. The arrival in Newcastle was chaotic with no room at all, as even the luggage racks were being used. I do remember, that for the most part holidays or not the train arrived either on time or very close to it. I had a short connection at Waterloo and I rarely missed it. The Edinburgh Waverley buffet used to hold a large stock of Lyons Individual fruit pies and sandwiches for that train as there was no food available on the train and getting to it would have been impossible.

Deltics? What were those? The motive power was always A4 or A1 on the heavies and A3 on some lighter loadings, although my notes for 1949 show that on one occasion the power was an A2/2. However, that is another story... .

[John Ashworth]

However, that is another story...

A story you must share with us!

[John Ashworth]

Another viewpoint:

CUMBRIA'S TRAINS LIKE CATTLE TRUCKS, SAYS UNION BOSS

A UNION leader says the county’s trains are “not much better than cattle trucks” following a damning report on the West Coast Main Line...