Hi all.
Does anyone know which company stock the summer holiday trains from Glasgow to Scarborough would have been made up from in the 1930's? These trains were frequently routed via the Thirsk and Malton route before being forwarded onto Scaborough. I would expect the train to be headed by an LNER loco, but would the carriages be LNER or LMS?
Many thanks
I recall that in the early 1950s that LNER corridor stock was used. Having left the main line at Alne these summer trains were routed via Gilling and Scarborough Road Junction at Malton, then Driffield and Bridlington, to Filey(when that station was opened for the Butlins traffic). I do not know whether this route was used to Scarborough in pre war days - possibly reversal was made at the Malton junction and so made the journey a little shorter, but it would have been a bit of a palaver!
I don't have any knowledge of coaching stock but i can say that the Malton to Driffield line closed to local passenger traffic in June 1950 and finally completely in 1958. I am aware that holiday traffic from Newcastle and Scotland to Bridlington and Filey Holiday Camp Station (Butlins) was routed via Pilmoor, Malton and Driffiled up to about 1957. Also some special excursions to Whitby and Scarborough from Hull on summer Sundays were alsoe routed this way. After 1957 holiday traffic from the north to the coast was still routed off the ECML at Pilmoor (Raskelf curve actually), but then reversal at Malton Scarborough Rd Junction on to the York Scarborough line was then necessary and a pilot engine was needed for this operation. To the best of my knowledege this route for holiday traffic was finally closed after the 1963 season, and the Malton to Gilling line closed completely in 1964.
Howard
Yes, an accident on the ECML in early 1963 caused damage to the junction at Pilmoor. The repair work involved replacement of junction track with plain track. Accordingly, no ECML traffic ever entered the Gilling branch again.
Until then, there had been through specials from King's Cross to Gilling for Ampleforth College terms and they had worked via Pilmoor or Malton [with reversal]. There were reports of A4's being involved: on one occasion an A4 was kept overnight at Scarborough Road Junction [Malton] to work a return from Gilling.
For the wedding of Katherine Worsley of Hovingham Hall to the Duke of Kent in York Minster June 1961, Kings X turned out three immaculate A4s for the Royal train & the other two trains for participants. The passengers detrained at York for the ceremony but the trains ran through to Malton for the return, I don't think that they ventured up the branch to Hovingham but I am sure someone will put me right on that, if necessary. The A4s were - 3, 15 & 28.
A4s were recorded on the branch between Malton & Gilling on the end of term specials for pupils at Ampleforth college numbers 17 & 26 were used in 1950, 1961 & 1963. All classes of ex LNER Pacific were recorded on the branch (not sure about every A2 variant).
That's interesting about 1950 and 1961 because I had thought 1963 was the only year that an A4 ventured up to Gilling [where did you obtain the info?].
As for the Royal Wedding , there was no resultant traffic up the branch and Malton was used as the railhead. However in order to avoid Royalty having to cross the temporary [unique] footbridge at Malton, the down line had to be used for departure back to York. This itself created another problem in that there was insufficient clearance between the platforms for an A4. Therefore, the coaches were shunted in and the departing locomotive was reversed onto the train but kept well clear of the East end of the station where there was restricted inter-platform space. Fortunately a disused bay platform area at the West allowed the A4 a little further into the station than would have been possible had the bay not existed.
Last edited by thc on Tue Jun 26, 2012 5:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Whilst I do not have definitive information to hand, I am sure that the Glasgow Queen St-Scarborough (SO) train would have been LNER stock in the 1930s. Unfortunately, the LNER May 1932 Carriage Roster for the North Eastern Area, does not cover this train as it ran only in the middle of the summer timetable. This Roster is available from NERA.
By the 1950s it was North Eastern Region stock. Although Scottish Region stock was used on a similar service.
It was probably the same in the 1930s, i.e. NE Area stock, although it may have worked turn and turn about with Southern Scottish Area stock - still given as NB, for North British, in the roster. Two sets would have been required for this Restaurant Car service.
The Summer 1938 timetable gives a 9.31 am departure from Queen Street, via Gilling, arriving Scarboro' 4.10 pm.
The northbound service left Scarborough at 9.55am arriving in Glasgow at 4.44 pm.
That's interesting about 1950 and 1961 because I had thought 1963 was the only year that an A4 ventured up to Gilling [where did you obtain the info?].
Sorry thc, I forgot to reply.
The info came from the book The Railways of Ryedale by the late Patrick Howat ( a recommended read for anyone interested in the branch lines west of Pickering).
