10am Liverpool Exchange - Newcastle express

10.0 a.m. Liverpool Exchange - Newcastle

Once Standedge became the four-track trans-Pennine LMS route, the Calder Valley was always going to have secondary status. However, it did have some key trains, and perhaps the 'big' train of the day was the 10.30 a.m. Liverpool Exchange - Newcastle.

We have to thank Robert Carroll for capturing a very comprehensive set of these books covering most regions and services, and making them available via the BRCoachingGroup on Yahoo! Groups. Like all aspects of this hobby, what ever field you look into, each aspect of the railway was/is highly organised, with very little left to chance, including the specific make-up of any given train.

The train ran half an hour earlier on summer Saturday, leaving Liverpool Exchange at 10.0 a.m. 7 July - 8 September.

In 1951 the train marshalling box shows the train formed thus:

1 x BG (Brake with Guard's van)
1 x TO (Third Open)
2 x CK (Composite Corridor)
1 x RF (Restaurant First)
3 x TO (Third Open)
1 x BTK (Brake Third Corridor)
1 x TK (Third Corridor)

Carriages/Seats 9 x 282 (SX) / 10 x 312 (SO)

The return working left Newcastle at 5.5 pm (17:05 hours), but now with the BG at the rear.

Reference to BR's Train Marshalling Book for the LMR Central Lines as 15 June 1959 - 13 September 1959 shows the 10.0 am consisting of:

1 x BG (Brake with Guard's van)
1 x SK (Second class with compartments and corridor)
2 x CK (Composite with 1st and 2nd class accommodation with a corridor)
1 x RC (Composite Restaurant car offering 1st and 2nd class seating)
3 x SO (Second class open)
1 x BSK (Brake second with corridor)
1 x SO (Second Open - and only attached on Fridays and Saturdays)

So 9 coaches most of the week, with 10 coaches on Fridays and Saturdays. The book shows assumes all rakes are 'Midland' unless shown otherwise, and there are a fair few Eastern sets making it over the Pennines.

Andy (of Newhey fame) reckons that the Restaurant Card was an ex-LMS 12-wheeler, and the train marshalling book at least confirms that it was a composite Restaurant Car and not a self-contained Kitchen Car serving meals to tables in 1st and 2nd class open stock fore-and-aft of the kitchen. For now that'll have to be Hornby's R4095.

Hornby in their current range produce a BG (R4233 LMS; R4450 BR); FK (R4230 LMS; R4234 BR); BSK (R4232 LMS; R4236 BR); and SK (R4231 LMS)

In the early 50s this was a Jubilee job - 'Mars' being a Bank Hall stalwart in the late 50s. Photos show her with the smaller Fowler tender, but towards the end of her career in the mid-60s she had a Stanier type. The date of the switch is not known. The turn would often see a Patriot in charge - the unnamed 45517 being a favourite.

But the rot was setting in, and the Restaurant Car was removed in the early 60s, prior to dieselisation and the arrival of the Calder Valley Class 110 3-car sets.

Most photos show the loco and the first carriage. The Marshalling Book does at least explain an observed phenomena, as the Friday/Saturday trains had an extra SO which could be a BR Mark 1 latterly. One photo shows the SO popped in front of the BG, although I really need more photos to determine whether the train formation was ever reversed, as one would expect the BG to always be at the same location on the platform to assist the loading and unloading of parcels traffic.

Bank Hall's 4mm 'Mars' heads eastwards with the 10.0 am Liverpool Exchange to Newcastle. For reasons unknown the BG has been removed from the consist on this particular day.

Bank Hall's 4mm 'Mars' heads eastwards past Hall Royd Junction with the 10.0 am Liverpool Exchange to Newcastle. For reasons unknown the BG has been removed from the consist on this particular day.