Refreshment Car (RC) services to London

[eastdyke]

Just been looking at the thread relating to 'an idea' for direct Norwich-London services via the Breckland line - http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=146477.

A little research has shown that in the mid-50's around 6 TPD went that way compared with around 11 TPD via Ipswich. (Service patterns being vastly different pre-Beeching)

One thing that struck me was that the 1.32pm ex Norwich (RC) service to London Liverpool Street called at, amongst other places, both Lakenheath and Shippea Hill.

Are there any even less likely stations that still exist on the network that had an RC service to London back in the day?

 

[RichmondCommu]

From memory Barrow had a direct service to London so it would be interesting to know whether the service contained a RC and indeed where it stopped between there and Lancaster.

 

[Springs Branch]

From memory Barrow had a direct service to London so it would be interesting to know whether the service contained a RC and indeed where it stopped between there and Lancaster.

There was a handful of through trains between Barrow-in-Furness and Euston in the days before electrification of the northern WCML.
But unfortunately by that time you could not enjoy the views of Morecambe Bay from the comfort of a Restaurant Car.

Looking at the May 1969 timetable (so post-steam, pre-electric), Euston-bound trains skipped the smaller stations between Barrow and Lancaster, calling only at Dalton, Ulverston, Grange-over-Sands and Carnforth. Northbound from Euston towards Barrow they stopped all stations after Carnforth.

• The 0845 departure from Barrow was a portion working, combining with the 0830 from Carlisle at Lancaster and indicated as only having a Restaurant Car available from Crewe. So you missed out on a cooked breakfast, but could enjoy lunch before arriving in Euston at 1358.
• The 1105 ex-Euston and 1355 ex-Barrow were full-length trains between Barrow & London, but only had Restaurant Cars advertised south of Preston.
• The 1610 ex-Euston just had a Buffet Car and only as far north as Crewe.

Additional to the above were the nightly Euston/Barrow Sleeper trains, which did not have any catering facilities.

In the same region, however there were a couple of other expresses carrying Restaurant Cars for their full journey.

• The 0905 Euston-Windermere and 1615 Windermere-Euston had a Restaurant Car advertised through to Windermere.
  
  
• 1850 Euston-Heysham and 0550 Heysham-Euston (The Ulster Express) also carried Restaurant Cars right through to Heysham.

Off the WCML, these trains called at Kendal and Morecambe respectively.

 

[RT4038]

There was a handful of through trains between Barrow-in-Furness and Euston in the days before electrification of the northern WCML.
But unfortunately by that time you could not enjoy the views of Morecambe Bay from the comfort of a Restaurant Car.

Looking at the May 1969 timetable (so post-steam, pre-electric), Euston-bound trains skipped the smaller stations between Barrow and Lancaster, calling only at Dalton, Ulverston, Grange-over-Sands and Carnforth. Northbound from Euston towards Barrow they stopped all stations after Carnforth.

• The 0845 departure from Barrow was a portion working, combining with the 0830 from Carlisle at Lancaster and indicated as only having a Restaurant Car available from Crewe. So you missed out on a cooked breakfast, but could enjoy lunch before arriving in Euston at 1358.
• The 1105 ex-Euston and 1355 ex-Barrow were full-length trains between Barrow & London, but only had Restaurant Cars advertised south of Preston.
• The 1610 ex-Euston just had a Buffet Car and only as far north as Crewe.

Additional to the above were the nightly Euston/Barrow Sleeper trains, which did not have any catering facilities.

In the same region, however there were a couple of other expresses carrying Restaurant Cars for their full journey.

• The 0905 Euston-Windermere and 1615 Windermere-Euston had a Restaurant Car advertised through to Windermere.
  
  
• 1850 Euston-Heysham and 0550 Heysham-Euston (The Ulster Express) also carried Restaurant Cars right through to Heysham.

Off the WCML, these trains called at Kendal and Morecambe respectively.

I well remember travelling on 1615 from Windermere to Euston in '67 or '68. Type 4 Brush from Windermere!

 

[30907]

Not TO London, but the 5pm Waterloo-Exeter, like all West of England trains, carried a Restaurant Car. However, unlike other West of England trains it called at Oakley, Overton, Whitchurch North, Hurstbourne, Tisbury, Semley, and Milborne Port.
The car was unstaffed from Yeovil, as it was looped for the 6pm down and became an all-stations.
It was replaced by a RMB Waterloo-Salisbury about 1961.

Not so obviously unlikely, but Honiton and Crewkerne had hardly any London services before 1964. The 6.30am Up Exeter from 1957 served both, and the 7.30 called at Crewkerne, and both naturally had restaurant cars.

West of Exeter, the Brighton-Plymouth was the only regular RC working, but a handful of weekend London trains had a RC - Yeoford and Eggesford, and minor stations in North Cornwall must be pretty unlikely candidates.

 

[RichmondCommu]

I well remember travelling on 1615 from Windermere to Euston in '67 or '68. Type 4 Brush from Windermere!

On a similar vein it would be interesting to know whether a Stanier Pacific ever made it to Windermere.

 

[Taunton]

Not just a restaurant car, but a fully staffed Pullman train, with observation car, the Devon Belle in the 1950s ran from Waterloo to Ilfracombe and back. Principal stations to Barnstaple, but then stopped all along the last stretch to Ilfracombe, including the middle-of-nowhere Mortehoe.

 

[30907]

Not just a restaurant car, but a fully staffed Pullman train, with observation car, the Devon Belle in the 1950s ran from Waterloo to Ilfracombe and back. Principal stations to Barnstaple, but then stopped all along the last stretch to Ilfracombe, including the middle-of-nowhere Mortehoe.

Mortehoe and Woolacombe, to give it its full name - which was one reason for all trains stopping there, the other being its location at the top of very steep gradients in both directions, so many trains needed to detach bankers.

It, and its successor, were among trains that omitted Wrafton, where there was nothing bar the RAF