Mk1 Pullman Second Kitchen (PSK) cars on the Western

[HillsideDepot]

Whilst researching Mk1 catering cars over the weekend I came across this post from The Johnster
 

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The WR's Gresley Buffet was allocated to Canton for use with (B) rated 75mph stock with steam heating and BR1 bogies, basically excursion/hire sets.  I believe it is now on the SVR in varnished teak, but it lasted a few years later than 1970 at Canton.  Despite it's age and wooden construction it ran very smoothly and was pretty draughtproof, a testament to Gresley's design and Doncaster's workmanship.  I thought it looked pretty good in blue/grey, set off with the catering red stripe.  We also had 3 more ECML refugees, Metro-Cammell Pullman Kitchen Seconds, IIRC 341, 343, and 344, one of which was in grey/blue livery, for similar work.

 

Followed by this information from Brian br2975

 

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Saw all three of the Canton allox Pullmans.

 

But it never seemed right, a Pullman in a 'Mystex'

 

One was included in a Cardiff - Prittlewell 'footex' I rode during the 1970s.

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"Reserved for players and officials of Cardiff City FC"

 

which got my interest. Further research led me to the EM gauge 70's website which has a page on the Mk1 Pullman cars. However they suggest that 10 out of 15 vehicles in the PSK fleet were used by the Western as a Buffet car for excursion traffic, with a start date of September 1971. Whilst individual cars vary, most are next reported as stored by the following August (1972). EM 70's lists the grey/blue example as E334E, which they don't mention as having worked on the Western.

 

Out of curiosity (and as a possible addition to my passenger stock) did Cardiff have 3 PSKs with the other 7 at other Western depots? Brian's note of one in a Footex, and a September transfer date makes me wonder if they were intended for use in such trains, lasting one season before ending up in store by the following summer. Or if not Footex traffic what was this short lived need for 10 buffets in excursion trains? If the idea was to provide catering in such trans and the PSKs were available for "free", they didn't give the idea much of a trial as it was over in less than a year, and missed the [presumably] busy peak summer season.

[Steamport Southport]

I believe it was a temporary measure while the Blue Pullmans were having reliability problems. They were meant to be spare sets but hardly used.

 

With the introduction of Mark Two air conditioned stock they were no longer needed. Then the HSTs took over the prestigious trains.

 

 

 

Jason

[robertcwp]

In 1971, the WR did use some redundant kitchen seconds as buffet cars. There are photos of them in Paddington-Worcester sets. Here is one at Paignton:

 

Car_340_1971 by Robert Carroll, on Flickr

 

Several second class cars had earlier been transferred to the WR and ran in the Blue Pullman substitute set in the mid-1960s, where they were upgraded to first class.

[mark54]

In the September 1971 edition of The Railway Magazine, in answer to a question, it is mentioned that the transfer of 6 ER Pullman kitchen seconds to the WR in May 1971 was to cover a dining car shortage. They were for excursion work and were based at Old Oak Common. Cars were said to include 330, 338 and 343 (however 330 was a parlour first, so probably a typo).

 

Other cars sighted on the WR in the traffic notes of the next few magazines were 342, 344, & 345. Latest sighting was September.