A first class third class

Just looking at the magnificent restoration of a Bulleid third brake coach by the Mid Hants Railway team here -
http://preservation.watercressline.co.uk/blog/entry/braking-news
But looking at the pictures of the interior - can this really have been third class travel?
Good job.

 

Yes - that's a typical Bullied 3rd class open interior. First class were all compartments and you can see one of these at Swanage (5761) and hopefully in the next couple of years at Bluebell where Roger Williams and his team are well advanced on the restoration of 5768. If you want to see progress on 5768 there are free lunchtime tours of the carriage works at Horsted tomorrow (Saturday)

David R

 

Very nice. Pleasantly surprised to see it turned in SR livery.

 

Certainly makes you think some companies knew how to look after their passengers. We've been getting "can't believe it's third class" comments about the 1925 LMS Third Open nearing completion by the LMSCA at Rowsley.
Dave

 

Oh, these look great. Good job to both teams.

 

The Mk1s were not quite as plush in standard but not far behind. Comfort and ambiance levels really plummeted when trains like the 377 and its family appeared in the SE and things like Voyagers came in for long distance. They both have toilets that do not work/smell, the Voyager has noisy vibrating engines under your seat and the 377s cloth plastic seats give me back ache after 30mins. Not much fun on a 2hr stop start trundle on one of Govia's withered arms to the SouthCoast. ( slower now than when electrified in 1938 as well)
On the 377s etc 1st class is now a standard class rock hard seat with a tatty dirty cloth slung over the back. At the same time as rail travel is going backwards every car I have bought over the last 20 years is an improvement over the previous one so I like a lot of people do not use rail any more even when it takes longer by car.

Brian

 

I agree very much with this (although I would still prefer to do long distance journeys by rail). Not only has the quality of the seating declined but so has the amount of space allocated to each passenger - and this has been declining since the introduction of airline type seating - if not before. I can understand the desire to get as many passengers into a carriage as possible, particularly on the busy commuter routes, hence the "3+2" seating in many EMUs, but when you remember that some Mk1s were given "2+1" seating in second class for long distance stock in some regions (and that in the relatively wide bodies compared with things like Pendolinos) you realise how things have changed. Comfort is probably uneconomic...

Steve B

 

Do the Mid Hants have any plans for a carriage shed to eventually store the Bulleid's in along with the future 4 wheeled set of LBSCR coaches? It is always a shame to see work being undone by the elements. I would hope that any carriage shed would have adequate fire protection installed as well.

The Mark 1s on the railway are not getting any younger and the amount of restoration constantly needed now must mean that its worth puting/fundraising for a shed. Space wise i know theres a problem, may be long term storage shed Butt Jct to Meon Valley line, with a short Vintage Train shed at Alton on the head shunt and a Mk 1 storage facility on the headshunt towards Winchester.

 

Now I'm a regular user of 357s myself and I can't personally say I've had any problems with them.

 

While Mark 1s are better than pretty well everything that runs on the main line nowadays in terms of comfort, the pre-48 stock is far better. I've got a life member's first class pass for the Bluebell but on a recent visit, with only one train in operation, consisting of a corridor set. I forewent first class travel in a Mk 1 in favour of slumming it in a Bulleid third. I agree that the interior of the 1925 LMS saloon is magnificent and I'll look out for the Bulleid next time I'm down on the Mid Hants. Put it behind 30120 on a solo run at the gala and regardless of what else is in the rake, it will be standing room only!