The LNER at Sea?

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

The LNER was an important shipowner in its own right.

I hope that at some stage an article could be included covering the shipping activities of the Company, which included train ferries and cattle carriers as well as the regular passenger steamers.

Many of these were very handsome little ships and most are well documented.

Incidentally the "Waverley" which is Britain's last operational paddle steamer, was an LNER ship

[richard]

Thanks for the suggestion Andrew - another one for the list I think. I think you are right that the subject probably suits an article rather than a whole new section.

Do you have a lot of LNER shipping information available?


The LNER also operated buses...


Richard

[Tom Quayle]

Don't forget the mechanical horses and door to door lorrys. Container traffic etc on the roads.

Did the LNER have any simmlar systems to the SR at dover? (searail systems.)

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Thank you, Richard.

I have a certain amount of information, and I think what I should do now is to start collecting more, of which there is plenty, with a view to sending you something sensible in about a year's time.

In answer to Tom's question - yes, the LNER operated train ferries, and the train ferry link span at Harwich has been preserved, though the ships are long gone now.

Parkeston Quay, now "Harwich International Port" was named after the second Chairman of the GER, Parkes.

[richard]

Thanks Andrew - yes, "a year" time frame would be good. I'm currently putting my effort towards the locomotive pages - and then I'll be looking at changing the look/etc. I have some ideas for other "article pages" (some routes, George Hudson, technical matters, the various Races to the North, etc), but lack information on ships and road transport.

Depending on the information you find, I could create a multi-page article (like the Wisbech & Upwell pages) splitting it thematically. I would probably want to see the routes, ships, etc before choosing a suitable way to split it.


Richard

[x568wcn]

I'll have a look in the NRM workshop next week on ships, I've seen quite a few bits on them.

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Thanks, Mark. I believe they have some interesting stuff on LNER train ferries.

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

I have been doing a little homework on this project.

Here for example is the website for the oldest surviving LNER ferry:

http://www.msbrightlingsea.com/index.html

The youngest survivor in preservation is of course the paddle steamer "Waverley"

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/tramways/waverley.htm and here is a website devoted to the ... h.htm[url]

[x568wcn]

Most of the stuff I can find in the NRm is Southern Railway, so not much good!

[Saint Johnstoun]

Could we please have a separate heading under the forum for LNER Shipping. I have modelled a number of the LNER paddle steamers and have a lot of information on these and other LNER ships which I could share.

[richard]

I'm wary of having too many sections in the forums. *If* there is a lot of interest, I might; but at the moment I don't see it. Something like rolling stock would come first I think.

There is definitely scope for an article or group of articles on ships. This could include constituent company ships if you have sufficient information.


Richard

[sng7]

That would be useful so that people could see all the sevices the LNER operated not Just trains

[Saint Johnstoun]

You could go on here for ever as before the 1930 road traffic act the LNER operated bus services in various areas in its own right.

It was then decided than rather compete with the growing bus industry, to buy into it, and the UKs major bus Companies in the Tilling, Tilling BAT, BET, and Scottish Motor Traction Groups were all partly owned by the railways by means of a substantial share capital held.

e.g. My specialist topic Alexanders - this Company was 50% owned by the LNER and LMS railways.

Then there were hotels and what else?

[Bullhead]

Then there were hotels and what else?

I think that one of the other post-grouping companies whose name we don't mention here operated air services (DH Rapides, I think). I imagine the propeller spinners were copper-plated...

[60041]

Then there were hotels and what else?

A quick look at the War Memorial at Waverley Station gives an idea of the activities of the NBR during WW1.
It lists: Carters, Rolleymen, Hostelers, Postmen, Hotel workers of many different grades, Laundry workers, Carpenters, Engineers of every kind, Foundrymen, Patternmakers, Wheelwrights, Telephone Linesmen - the list is endless, it is difficult to think of any activity that the railway companies were not involved in. They were entirely self sufficient and were capable of providing everything they and their customers were ever likely to need.
It would be impossible to provide a separate section for every activity that the LNER and it's constituents carried out, but a list would be very interesting!