North East England during the steam era.
There is a bit of a story with this train, so I thought that I'd share my thoughts about it.
Bear with me.
In the long summer evening of June, the 8.40 p.m. from Hull Paragon heads west at speed towards Staddlethorpe station, which from 1974 became Gilberdyke. At the junction, it will take the line for Selby.
The train, which is in the hands of a Raven S2 Class 4-6-0, has six carriages and two vans.
From the loco there is a Midland Brake Van, a G.C.R. Corridor Brake Composite and two N.E.R. sets, Nos. 387 and 388.
Set No. 388, the "Hull and Pontefract" leads, with a 52ft Diagram four compartment Van Composite (2-2) and a 52ft Diagram three compartment Van Third.
Set No. 387, the "Hull and Leeds Mail" trails with a pair of 52ft Diagram 76 four compartment Van Thirds book-ending a 52ft seven compartment Lavatory Composite (4-3).
The Pontefract portion has the Midland Brake assigned to it (Mail set No. 201) and it will run through to St. Pancras, arriving 4.20 a.m.
A N.E.R. "XVV", a 52ft or longer van will travel north to Pontefract tonight in Mail set No. 202 and will return to Hull attached to set No. 388 on its return journey to Hull.
The Leeds portion has a "VV" assigned to it and a Diagram 21 6-W van is doing the duty.
There are several mysteries associated with this train.
First off, the G.C.R. BCK is not in the 1926 carriage roster and I only discovered the presence of a through carriage on this train when looking at the NERA copy of the L.N.E.R. 1923 passenger train timetable.
According to that, it left Hull at 8.40 p.m. and travelled via Pontefract and Oxford to Bristol Temple Meads, arriving there at 5.52 a.m.
However, in the 1926 roster there is no mention
at all of an overnight through carriage between Hull and Bristol.
In the 1923 L.N.E.R. Timetable the through communication page has the 8.40 p.m. Hull departure noted as "Via Pontefract", so that fits the Set No, 388 roster with its 9.47 p.m. arrival at Pontefract, which must have been Baghill, since on Saturdays Only, the set would do a round trip between there and Moorthorpe during its layover (9.47 p.m. to 3.00 a.m.).
The through communication page column containing the 8.40 p.m. ex-Hull is the "Y
ork to Nottingham, Leicester and Bristol, Through carriages Aberdeen to Sheffield (Vic) and Hull to Bristol" with a York departure of 10.03 p.m.
In the 1926 Carriage Roster the 10.03 p.m. ex-York is either a G.C.R. 2-set or G.W.R. 2-set, though with several vehicles attached when departing York (WBCL Glasgow - Sheffield, XVV Glasgow to Westbury, G.W.R. XVV Newcastle to Calne and G.C.R. or G.W.R. XVV Newcastle to Yeovil).
Therefore, I have unilaterally assigned a G.C.R. Clerestory BCK by RobD to the train, since the L.N.E.R. 1926 Carriage Roster has no entry for it and I can only assume that either (a) It was discontinued between 1923 and 1926 or (b) it is an oversight of some kind, though I find that rather less likely than (a).
The next mysteries are just what ran as a mail van in the carriage roster.
Set No. 387 (Hull - Leeds Mail) in the roster is listed as having an XVV attached, which is a 52ft Dual braked van, but Mail Set No. 190 in the Mail workings section lists a "VV", which was a 6-wheeler.
Set No. 388 (Hull - Pontefract) in the roster is listed as having a VV attached, which is the 6-wheeler whereas Mail Sets 201 and 202 are "XVV" with one an L.N.E.R. dual-braked 52ft van and the other an L.M.S.R 52ft (or longer) dual braked van, working down from St Pancras one night and up to St Pancras the next night.
So, unless I have read the roster incorrectly, and sets 190 and 201 are in addition to the additions listed in the passenger part of the roster for set Nos. 387 and 388, then it appears there may be a typo in the roster.
Yes, I know, right after saying an omission in the roster is unlikely!
The train divided at Selby. The Pontefract portion departed at 9.23 p.m. some 6 minutes before the portion to Leeds.
My copy of the NERA document "N.E.R. Passenger Engine Workings July - September 1908" appears to have one working out of Hull at 8.40 p.m.
It is a turn for a Leeds engine, turn 2, which arrived in Leeds New at 10.13 p.m.
However, the 8.40 p.m. in the 1910 Bradshaw's is preceded by an 8.30 p.m. passenger train to Normanton.
In 1908 that is a turn for a York engine, turn 7, which would return to York with an 11.00 p.m. departure from Normanton.
It would seem that between 1908/1910 and 1923 there was an efficiency driven change, combining the previous 8.30 p.m. and 8.40 p.m. out of Hull in the one, 8.40 p.m. working, dividing at Selby, and with a portion for Pontefract Baghill rather than a destination at Normanton.
Neither train in the 1910 Bradshaw's has any mention of a through carriage from Hull to Bristol via Oxford, with the 1910 Bradshaw's showing the connection in to the York - Leicester through train departing at 7.30 p.m.
Bradshaw's for 1922 has an overnight through express from York to Bristol with a connection from Hull at 8.40 p.m. noted as via Selby and Pontefract, but no explicit mention of a through carriage.
There is also no mention of
changing at Pontefract in order to catch the York to Bristol express at Sheffield Victoria and neither Table 576 ot 750 shows a train at Pontefract around 9.47 p.m. from Hull or going on to Sheffield.
So, I am still rather undecided on the through carriage.
Perhaps it was introduced in summer 1923 but soon proved to lack the demand to justify running it.
As for the unique Diagram 89 BC (2-2).
A long while past, I had Paul Mace build me several examples of the NER Worsdell 52ft bogie clerestory roof Van Composite with four compartments, two First and two Third Class, providing 12 First and 20 Third seats.
Several years elapsed until I bought the NERA's book of the 1906 Carriage Register and discovered that I had the number(s) wrong (Not shown on the NER drawing) and the number wrong.
The latter "number wrong" being that the NER only ever built one of them, No. 3270, built in December 1903.
Still, we live and learn, with research being a process that can validate, and invalidate, decisions.
I worked through the 1926 Carriage Roster and found it, on the Hull and Pontefract Set, No. 388, where it was paired with a 52ft Van Third with three compartments, which means Diagrams 18 and 130.
This made one return journey a day, overnight, departing Hull at 8.40 p.m. for the N.E.R. station at Pontefract Baghill, arriving at 9.47 p.m. and waiting there (S.X.) until 3.00 a.m. for the return to Hull.
On Saturdays. it would fit in a late train to Moorthorpe, depart Pontefract Baghill at 10.22 p.m.
