East Coast Mainline - horseboxes - 1950s - how were they used?

[AHW]

Afternoon All,

 

I'm a modeller with a cupboard full of stock waiting for the opportunity to lay some track for it. Until that day comes, I am continuing to build rakes of stock.

 

I have been intrigued by the BR Horsebox - and am wondering how these were used in practice. You often see them coupled onto a rake of coaches which I guess is easy to do. But a thought struck me as to whether a horsebox special was ever made up on the ECML. Why would that have happened? Because the East of England is festooned with racecourses  - Doncaster, York, Newmarket immediately spring to mind, but there are many others - Newcastle, Beverley, Catterick, Great Yarmouth and the rest.

 

During a festival season were racehorses moved sporadically in occasional boxes on relief expresses, cross country etc, or were there ever dedicated workings of multiple boxes perhaps with a couple of composites for additional passengers?

 

Anybody know?

 

You can see I would like the idea of a racing special behind a B1 chugging down from York to Newmarket during the flat season....

 

Looking forward to what you guys know on this one.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Al

[Steamport Southport]

It's definitely been covered before on here. 

 

Also quite a lot on this website.

 

https://www.steve-banks.org/prototype-and-traffic/129-horse-race-traffic

 

Trains composed entirely of horseboxes would have a passenger brake coach attached as they needed a brake and a guard. Usually a brake composite with the seats used for staff including trainers, hence the need for some first class accommodation. The grooms would travel with the horses

 

 

Jason

[stewartingram]

Somewhere in my pic collection (or a book) I have shot of a K1 on horseboxes, with a Gresley corridor brake (not sure what class?), in East Anglia (possibly Newmarket?). A collection of horses being transported to a meeting elsewhere, with a coach for presumably their owners etc. I assume the attendenats would be riding in the horseboxes with the animals though.

 

Stewart

[AHW]

6 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

It's definitely been covered before on here. 

 

Also quite a lot on this website.

 

https://www.steve-banks.org/prototype-and-traffic/129-horse-race-traffic

 

Trains composed entirely of horseboxes would have a passenger brake coach attached as they needed a brake and a guard. Usually a brake composite with the seats used for staff including trainers, hence the need for some first class accommodation. The grooms would travel with the horses

 

 

Jason

This is really helpful. Thank you for taking the trouble to search out the link. 
 

[AHW]

5 minutes ago, stewartingram said:

Somewhere in my pic collection (or a book) I have shot of a K1 on horseboxes, with a Gresley corridor brake (not sure what class?), in East Anglia (possibly Newmarket?). A collection of horses being transported to a meeting elsewhere, with a coach for presumably their owners etc. I assume the attendenats would be riding in the horseboxes with the animals though.

 

Stewart

This may be the image you are thinking of. I have just found it on the link sent by Jason above. It’s labelled as being at Ely. Thank you for your help. 

[stewartingram]

Nope, that's not the picture! Might be the same train though. And it could be turning left for Newmarket after the station.

 

Stewart