1820s-1880s
EARLY DAYS There was no mass movement of people over
1825
land before the railways. Land transport was horse drawn and often over very poor roads and tracks. From the 1820s mass movement of labour for
1830
developing industry was made possible by the growing network of newly built railways. 1 Before the advent of restaurant cars stops were made for
refreshment. Swindon, Preston and York were among the bigger establishments. Passengers only had 10 or 20 minutes to eat and use the lavatories. In 1879 the Great Northern Railway was the first to run a dining car on the route between Kings Cross and Leeds. [Richard Doyle’s “Manners and Customs of the English” Punch cartoon
From the start there were three classes of travel that equated to the Victorian social class system: First class was sumptuously upholstered, second class offered padded
of Swindon from 1849.]
seats for the middle classes, and third class
Carriages were constructed of wood and usually had 4 wheels. A railway safety culture was developed and inventions such as a passenger communication cord, door locks, carriage lighting and improved braking systems were introduced. The arrival of the railways led inevitably to the fearful prospect of serious accidents.
was very basic with wooden benches and bare floors. Very early 3rd class carriages had no roofs and were open to the elements.
1842
1844
1846 7 Songbook cover c1845
1 From top: 1st, 2nd and 3rd class Great Northern Railway carriages c1860. [ Jenkinson ]
[ British Railways ]
The first railway carriage was horse drawn on the Stockton and Darlington Railway
The first passenger railway opened between Canterbury to Whitstable, a line known as the The Crab & Winkle.
On 13 June, Queen Victoria made her first journey by train, travelling from Slough to Paddington, in a special royal carriage provided by the Great Western Railway. The Queen and the Prince Consort, both complained that at 20 mph the train was going far too fast.
Gladstone’s act forced the railways to provide carriages with seats and roofs.
Railway Mania reached its zenith, when no fewer than 272 Acts of Parliament setting up new railway companies were passed.
5 Below: Brighton Works c. 1871 2 The rigours of travelling Third class
All trains to Brighton stopped for ticket
[Brighton Reference Library ]
collection at the long wooden platform alongside the works before continuing the
5 The first passenger carriage
short distance into the station. This was a great
‘Experiment’, 1825. . [Illustrated
cause of delay and annoyance to passengers.
London News]
Typical carriages of the period fill the sidings in the foreground. [Lens of Sutton]
1 Accident on the North London Railway [Elton Collection, Ironbridge]
1848
The oldest named train in the world is “The Irish Mail” running between London and Holyhead. It began running on 31 July 1848.
EARLY DAYS
1880s-1930s
VICTORIAN LEGACY By late 1890s the UK railway network was its greatest geographic spread. There were
5 Thirty years of carriage developement on the Great North of Scotland Railway, [NRM]
1888
The first railway carriage was horse drawn on the Stockton and Darlington Railway
sixteen major and dozens of minor companies. Many towns were served by at least two competing lines and this rivalry led to huge developments in new standards of speed, comfort and safety.
5 Interior of a drawing room car, early 19th century [NRM]
1904
Demands for new amenities resulted in the introduction of dining and sleeping cars, lavatories and corridors between carriages and superior levels of interior decoration. The First World War took its toll o the system and in 1923 the grouping resulted in the formation of the “Big Four” companies: LMS, LNER, GWR and Southern. The growth of the private car, bus and lorry through the late 1920s meant the railways had to find new ways to challenge these new rivals in the 1930s.
5
London Bridge c. 1925. [British Rail]
On 13 June, Queen Victoria made her first journey by train, travelling from Slough to Paddington, in a special royal carriage provided by the Great Western Railway. The Queen and the Prince Consort, both complained that at 20 mph the train was going far too fast.
1900
Gladstone’s act forced the railways to provide carriages with seats and roofs.
1 Female passengers in a LNWR dining carriage, c 1905.
1913
[National Railway Museum]
Railway Mania reached its zenith, when no fewer than 272 Acts of Parliament setting up new railway companies were passed.
7 Then and Now?, LNER poster. The elegant couple in contemporary dress relaxing in a spacious compartment is set against a chaotic scene of flustered passengers in Victorian dress on a
1925
crowded platform. [National Railway Museum]
The Railway Centenary celebrations were celebrated at Stockton-on-Tees
5 South East and Chatham Railway brake 3rd carriage [D Jenkinson, NRM]
VICTORIAN LEGACY
1930s-1950s
20TH CENTURY MODERN 3 'Perhaps this'll teach you to stay at 'ome next 'oliday', poster, 1944. [National Railway Museum]
From 1930 until the beginning of the second world war speed and style characterised the luxury trains of Britain. Cocktail bars and observation cars – even onboard cinemas – and record breaking runs. Much of this development bypassed the ordinary train although wood was slowly replaced by the use of steel in construction and design. Worked virtually to breaking point during wartime the network was nationalised in 1948. British Railways bought standardisation and the construction in 1951 of the Mk1 coach - built entirely of steel, large numbers of these vehicles served the UK railways for the next 50 years.
5 Mass movement: Summer holidays, moving the milliary The railways had to cater for huge variations in passenger numbers. [National Railway Museum]
1935
1940
1944 1 The Coronation, 1937
London to Newcastle in four hours an average speed of 67mph [National Railway Museum]
1948
5 Over one million evacuees left London by train from 1st September 1939. [National Railway Museum]
5 Bar scene in the Bulleid Tavern car.This novel and controversial design originated on the Southern Railway before nationalisation. The exterior was painted to resemble brickwork with pseudo-half timbering and stucco. Incorporating a painted ‘traditional’ pub sign. [National Railway Museum]
1951
Electrification of the Southern Railway expanded through the 1930s bringing clean and modern rolling stock to the ever expanding commuter belt.
Marshalling yards were a primary target for the German bombers. By damaging London’s railway facilities the enemy hoped to paralyse the commercial life of the capital.
With petrol rationing trains took the strain. Railways were used to their full capacity. The run up to D-Day 2,000 trains carried 150,000 troops to the south coast.
The Southern Railway experimented with Double decker trains, cramped and stuffy they were not a success but ran until 1971
The Standard coach, designed by the newly nationalised British Railways.
20TH CENTURY MODERN