TWO FAMOUS TRAINS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21254, 6 August 1932, Page 2 (Supplement)

TWO FAMOUS TRAINS

IRISH MAIL'S LONG RECORD RUNNING FOR 83 YEARS ALWAYS KEPT TO SCHEDULE When at 2.25 the Irish Mail glided into Holyhead on tlio morning of Juno 10. "he had made her-83rd anniversary run. Thus she becomes the oldest famous train in the world, older than tho Flying Scots man, which comes second on the list of veteran trains, or tho Orient Express or tho Twentieth-Century Limited, On Juno 18, 1849, at 8.45 p.m., the Irish Mftil drew out of Euston, London, for the first time. She followed as, near aft railroad engineering permitted the route the Holyhead Mail took in the days before Georgo Stephenson laid his lines. This was when (he mail coach—introduced by the Bath post reformer, John Palmer, in the eighties of the eighteenth century—with its team of horses, its coachmen with cracking whip and its guard who blew a resounding "Tally IIo!" from (/is silvor horn, swept out of London in the morning for the north. For 83 years, exactly at the time of the original run, the train has begun its 264-milo journey to tho sea, maintaining ah average speed of forty miles an hour No other train in the world has been so consistent for so long. It has rarely been delayed, never wrecked. Even during the war it ran to schedule. The Flying Scotsman At 10 a.m. on July 18 the Flying Scotsman departed from the King's Cross Station on its 22.000 th journey to Edinburgh. The occasion was not merely the 70ih anniversary of tho train, but was the firet time since the railway race of 40 years ago lhat the 392-i miles to Edinburgh had been accomplished in 7$ hours. For on July 18 the Flying Scotsman commenced its non-stop run under the new schedule, being due at Edinburgh at 5.30 instead of 5.50 p.ir.. and averaging 52 miles an hour. The first Flying Sco'wnan took 10$ hours to travel to Edit burgh and convoyed first and second-class passengers only, for the provision of through coaches to the north was a supreme pr.vilege for which tho passenger had to pay Indeed, third-class passengers in those more prosperous days were something of a liurdon to the Great Northern. North Eastern, and North Rritish Railway companies, who jo'ntly operated the Flying Scotsman. In 1872 it was decided to admit third-class passengers to all trains, including the famous Scottish train. The groat profusion of third-class passengers. tiowever. became embarrassing to the companies, for the train became so heavy that the locomotives of that day proved unequal to the task of hauling them. So once more Demos was excluded from the Fly ng Scotsman, and a special third-class train was run an hour ahead, leaving London at 9 o'clock. Third-Class " Cinderella " Train This cinderella-like train, however, soon proved to be in the way of its rich relative when the latter was accelerated to do the journey in nine hours, and so the third class was abruptly pushed behind the Flying Scotsman and left London at 10.10 a.m Third class passengers were eventnallv and permanently allowed to use the Flying Scotsman in 1887. Tho official best performance registered by the Flying Scotsman was 7 hours minutes, and then for a time i{ did the journey in 73 hours, until it wss eventually settled that the time should be 84 hours. Tho Flying Scotsman is now again do ; ng the journey in 7£ hours—but with a striking difference. Tn 1888 tho trains weighed something like 150 tons. To-day the trains welch on an averare 400 tons, and the 392 miles is done without a stop and with one locomotive. The non-stop journey, during which SO nrles an hour is reached, m. of course, worked by two sets of engine-men, one crew relieving the other by the use of thn corridor through the tender which connects with the train.