"West Riding Limited" : brochure issued by the London & North Eastern Railway, September 1937 : cover
During the mid-1930s several of the UK's 'Big Four' railways experimented with and introduced both streamlined steam locomotives and train sets along with premium services operated by these trains. Although one drive of streamlining was with regard to speed of equal opportunity was the publicity value of such trains.
They allowed the LNER and the rival west coast LMSR to promote the railway as modern and at the front of technology. It's equally fair to say that in the cash-strapped era the railway's branch line and secondary stock and services were not quite so well treated to investment as their main line counterparts!
In the case of the LNER following the introduction of the "Silver Jubilee" in 1935 and "The Coronation" in 1937 the company decided that the important London - West Yorkshire route, connecting Kings Cross to the major cities of Leeds and Bradford, should also get the 'streamline' treatment.
For the service, that started on Monday 27 September 1937 the company constructed new train sets, similar to those for the Silver Jubilee, that comprised four twin articulated coaches with two kitchen cars and the trains were intended to be hauled by the LNER's A4 class locomotives. The train ran until the outbreak of war when it was suspended, the train sets placed into storage and not reinstituted until BR days in 1949.
The advertising and publicity was, as for the Silver Jubilee and Coronation, designed to be of equal 'opulance', appealling to the First Class market the LNER wanted to capture although Third Class was also included. A supplemntary fare, of 4/- in First and 2/6 in Third, was charged. The service was timed smartly, with a northbound 'down' service leaving Kings Cross at 1910 and arriving into Leeds at 2153, before reaching Bradford Exchange at 2215 - a quoted average speed of 68.4 mph.
The booklet, printed at the Baynard Press, is in the same style as the Silver Jubilee and Coronation but lacks a designer's name.
"West Riding Limited" : brochure issued by the London & North Eastern Railway, September 1937 : cover
During the mid-1930s several of the UK's 'Big Four' railways experimented with and introduced both streamlined steam locomotives and train sets along with premium services operated by these trains. Although one drive of streamlining was with regard to speed of equal opportunity was the publicity value of such trains.
They allowed the LNER and the rival west coast LMSR to promote the railway as modern and at the front of technology. It's equally fair to say that in the cash-strapped era the railway's branch line and secondary stock and services were not quite so well treated to investment as their main line counterparts!
In the case of the LNER following the introduction of the "Silver Jubilee" in 1935 and "The Coronation" in 1937 the company decided that the important London - West Yorkshire route, connecting Kings Cross to the major cities of Leeds and Bradford, should also get the 'streamline' treatment.
For the service, that started on Monday 27 September 1937 the company constructed new train sets, similar to those for the Silver Jubilee, that comprised four twin articulated coaches with two kitchen cars and the trains were intended to be hauled by the LNER's A4 class locomotives. The train ran until the outbreak of war when it was suspended, the train sets placed into storage and not reinstituted until BR days in 1949.
The advertising and publicity was, as for the Silver Jubilee and Coronation, designed to be of equal 'opulance', appealling to the First Class market the LNER wanted to capture although Third Class was also included. A supplemntary fare, of 4/- in First and 2/6 in Third, was charged. The service was timed smartly, with a northbound 'down' service leaving Kings Cross at 1910 and arriving into Leeds at 2153, before reaching Bradford Exchange at 2215 - a quoted average speed of 68.4 mph.
The booklet, printed at the Baynard Press, is in the same style as the Silver Jubilee and Coronation but lacks a designer's name.