BRITAIN’S PREMIER TRAIN

Hawera Star, Volume L, 7 April 1931, Page 5

BRITAIN’S PREMIER TRAIN

“FLYING SCOTSMAN’S” RECORD.' LIFE OF NEARLY 70 YEARS. For 68 successive .years during, the summer season the “Flying Scotsman” express of the London and NorthEastern Railway lsis left King’s Cross station in London for Edinburgh at the unaltered hour of 10 a.m. Nowadays the journey of 2921 miles constitutes the world’s longest non-stop run, and is done in eight and a-quarter hours. But in over half a century many improvements have been made to increase the comfort of passengers and secure better running. The new engines on this service have specially-constructed tenders, which allow the engine crews to be changed after 200 miles by a passageway to a compartment reserved at the head of the train for the relief crew.- The coal consumption on the journey is four and a-half tons. About 13,000 gallons of water are converted into steam in the course of the. trip. Of these 5000 gallons are taken in the tank to start with, and the remainder is taken up from troughs between the rails during the run.

The full train weighs about 400 tons. Of this only three per cent, represents the weight of the passengers and their luggage. The total cost of the train with its engine is £42,000.

In the first-cllass cars the decorations are either electric blue or lose colour, and the corridors have fawn carpets underlaid with sponge rubber. Each passenger has a .separate adjustable armchair. The “Thermo-Reg” system of pressure ventilation and heating is installed throughout the train, so that a flow of warm or cold filtered air can he obtained at the will of the passengers.

The kitchens are entirely electrically operated, and food is stored in mechanical refrigerators. There is also a fully-equipped hairdressing saloon. The company is justly proud of what is claimed to be' Britain’s premier train —the “Flying Scotsman.”