More Pullman coaches!

[rayarpino]

Yet more Pullman coaches in the Hornby stables! The percentage of travellers who were fortunate to travel in these coaches was, I believe, very small indeed in comparison of the general travelling public. I really don't see the point of this initiative when  quite a substantial number of other types of coaches are on everyone's wishlist. Why haven't the superdetailed LNER teak mainline coaches been reintroduced? Or can't we have genuine LMS Coronation coaches? Where are the more humble coaches and those in their pre-grouping liveries? 

Is there anyone out there actually running a Pullman layout? Imagine running a French layout or any other European layout with exclusively CIWL stock?   

 

[LCDR]

 However Pullman carriages are like Pacific locomotives they are the elite of railway rolling stock and people tend to go daft about them.

 

Few people bother with dirty goods trucks, especially coal trucks, which were the things that earned the railway most of its revenue.

 

In reality there were 1.2  million goods wagons in BR in 1948  compared with 200 pullman cars.. Similarly 279 4-6-2 tender locos out of a grand total 20009.

 

But I would bet that Hornby have sold many more Flying Scotsmans and Pullman cars than 4F 0-6-0s and coal wagons!

[Buz]

Hi all

We just happen to be weird we want the dirty old goods wagons and common garden variety coaches etc

The average train set and add on purchaser wants all the posh stuff like express engines and Pullman coaches.

For, us one set or maybe just a couple of Pullman's is enough if the chosen real or fictional  location for our layout can justify it

regards John

[LCDR]

 I must confess I do like the 'Arrer' which was the premier train of the South Eastern.  It did brighten up a dull morning of spotting at Bromley South or Knockholt.

[Postman Prat]

 Quote...........It did brighten up a dull morning of spotting at Bromley South or Knockholt

 

It must have been dull with almost nothing but those 'self propelled coaches'  😉

[LCDR]

 We did once have trains pulled by puffers. And I was spotting before 1959 !

[Wobblinwheel]

I like that word "puffer"...

[roythegrass]

Well I travelled in Pullman coaches when I was a nipper back in the 50s and now also enjoy using the Pullman coaches on the Bluebell Railway. I also have at least half a dozen of these coaches in my collection as well as the Brighton Belle Pullmans – a train currently under restoration and due for mainline operation fairly soon with tickets anticipated to be a sell out well in advance. Although Hornby have 1934 and 1960 versions of the BB expect to see a 2017/18 model to commemorate this wonderful train back in heritage service.

Roy

[Fazy]

I'll buy some Pullmans when they release the LMS Pullmans!

[LCDR]

 Do you mean the Mark 2s?

 

For much of its existence the LMS did not use Pullmans, although they did try them. The Midland Railway were pioneers of course, but these died out in 1911.

 

The Highland briefly flirted with them, but had stopped using them by 1907.

 

The Caledonian used them between Glasgow and Aberdeen down to Grouping but the LMS was not keen and abandoned them in 1933.The Pullman cars were taken into LMS ordinary stock and remained mainly in Scotland still on the Glasgow - Aberdeen run.

 

That was about it for Pullmans on the LMS and Midland Region until 1960 when the Blue Pullman diesels started between Manchester and London St Pancras.

 

Inspired by the popularity of the Blue Pullmans the Midland Region introduced Mark 2 Pullman stock on the newly electrified routes between Liverpool and Manchester and London Euston. These ran between April 1966 and May 1985, when Mark 3 stock briefly replaced them until Virgin West Coast applied their own branding in the 1990s.

 

 

The Great Western was not a huge user of Pullman cars either, and they introduced their own luxury coaches instead. The Torbay Pullman ran for about a year 1929 - 1930. It was 1955 before Pullmans made a return to the Western with the introduction of the South Wales Pullman between London to Swansea, this was replaced 5 years later by the Blue Pullmans, which also ran to Bristol.