Football team (not supporters) specials

[Nearholmer]

Any memories of when the teams travelled by special trains?

 

This comes up because my son and I are watching Brighton vs West Ham on the telly, and we’re discussing Brighton’s earlier First Division period, and my memory of a team special, Brighton to Norwich, consisting of only three coaches (maybe actually two coaches and a BG for kit), one of which was a Pullman, headed by an immaculately cleaned 33 (I think one of the “namers”) during the 1979/80 season (I think 7th March 1980). Whetger the 33 worked through, I don’t know, maybe the ER put on a worn-out 31.

 

This sort of thing must have been common ‘in the old days’.

 

 

 

Edited August 26, 2023 by Nearholmer

[Bernard Lamb]

I never came across a football club special.

I do remember company outings by train.

Coopers in Berkhamsted certainly had special trains on a regular basis for staff outings in the early 1960s.

I have no idea how long they continued.

Bernard

[Pannier Tank]

46 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

Any memories of when the teams travelled by special trains?

 

I saw the Midland Pullman on the Bletchley to Oxford Line in the early 60s on a Football Special, may even have been this one https://www.railcar.co.uk/images/14751  Saw many Steam Loco's (Britannia's / Scots etc) on Football Specials around that time.

[Wickham Green too]

1 hour ago, Nearholmer said:

... Brighton to Norwich, consisting of only three coaches ... one of which was a Pullman, ...

May have been a legacy of the Pullman Car Company's works being at Preston Park ..... though that had closed in 1963 ( demolished 2008/9 ).

[Nearholmer]

I really don’t know. Somewhere, I’ve got a slide photo of the train that I took as it was passing through Croydon, but can I find it? Of course not ….. it isn’t where it ought to be! I have a feeling it carried a ‘seagulls’ headboard, so overall it was quite a special special for the times.

[keefer]

There mention of this in a Railway Observer I have but can't remember the year!

I do have the 1979 volume which would fit with your query but whatever the year it definitely was for the Brighton team.

I may be imagining it but E315E comes to mind for some reason.

I'll try and find it when I get a chance.

[Nearholmer]

I have found another photo, of a different train. which I think is also a B&HA team special, this time in 1978, heading south through Croydon. The angle makes it a bit hard to tell, but I think it’s a Mk1 FK, definitely some sort of Mk1 catering vehicle, and either a BCK or a BG at the back.

 

Also found the Derby Day royal train, both on its way to Tottenham Corner with an immaculate ED on the front, and coming back empty behind a scruffy 33. No recollection whatsoever of taking those pictures!

 

 

Edited August 26, 2023 by Nearholmer

[Michael Hodgson]

Wouldn't a single BSK be more than adequate to move eleven blokes (and their studded boots)?

[Nearholmer]

HMQ had a good half a dozen coaches on her train, and there was only one of her. And, she was only watching the horses, not actually riding one.

[Wickham Green too]

28 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

HMQ had a good half a dozen coaches on her train, and there was only one of her. ...

But how many armour-plated limousines does it take to carry a single ex president ??!?

[Hal Nail]

c1990 I saw Newcastle United, 2nd tier at the time, waiting at Central for a regular train down to Torquay for a cup game.

 

Doubt that would happen now.

[7802]

Plymouth Argyle caught a regular train service to their championship fixture with Watford last week. There weren’t enough seats so some players were sat on the floor. I doubt they’ll be using rail travel for the rest of the season.

[peanuts]

There is a photo in the book Oldhams railways of a class 40 hauled footex running through Oldham mumps rake of mk1s and a pullman coach for the Brighton players and staff would of been running to Werneth .will try to find the book and see if i can copy 

[kevinlms]

Before they built motorways and decent coaches, any London club going to a northern city for example, would presumably be far better off booking out a coach or 2 on the train, at the very least.

London clubs only joined in the early 20th century IIRC and a horse drawn bus to say Newcastle, would have been truly horrible.

[Nearholmer]

Yes, somewhere in a contemporary model railway magazine, I read about Northampton Town playing, and losing, a final against Swindon Town c1910 (or maybe it was a league thing, not a cup), and the Northampton guys subscribed and bought for the Swindon guys a Gauge 2 (I think) Bassett Lowke (by Bing) GWR 4-4-0 and coaches, and had all the Swindon team names painted onto the compartment doors. The teams had apparently had very close, but friendly, rivalry throughout the season, and had spent so much time riding about the country in trains, that they thought it was a perfect memento. Different times, eh?

 

PS: Swindon Town came top of the Southern League in 1910-11, with Northampton Town a close second, and B&HA third on ‘goal ratio’. It must have been that which prompted the memento.

 

 

Edited August 27, 2023 by Nearholmer

[keefer]

Found one!

Railway Observer February 1979:

I'm sure I've seen other mentions in other years, often in relation to Cup ties.

EDIT: R.O. July 1979:

Edited August 27, 2023 by keefer

[nigb55009]

Fulham FC used regular train services, albeit First Class. They`re probably some of the only people who can afford it. When I saw them they

weregetting off a Virgin service from London Euston at Wigan NW.It was friday afternoon, a local coach company were waiting to take the

team to a hotel. Fulham were playing Bolton Wanderers the following day.

[Nearholmer]

1 hour ago, keefer said:

Railway Observer February 1979:

Well done!

 

It’s no wonder the tradition of using trains for the teams eventually petered out if that sort of chaos ensued.

 

Heres something for anyone wanting to reproduce these trains in 00 https://oliviastrains.com/product/Bachmann-39-281-mk1-kf-reverse-blue-grey/

I think this is the vehicle I saw in the train that started me on this, and is in the train I’ve actually managed to find my photo of …. It’s hard to be certain, because in a front three quarter view from above it’s hard to distinguish from other Mk1 catering vehicles.

 

 

 

Edited August 27, 2023 by Nearholmer

[Michael Hodgson]

4 hours ago, kevinlms said:

 

London clubs only joined in the early 20th century IIRC and a horse drawn bus to say Newcastle, would have been truly horrible.

That's basically the history of the Geordie National Anthem, although Blaydon Races actually refers to catching the bus to a horse racing event five miles outwards from the Canny Toon, rather than going in from the suburbs to see the Magpies playing at home.

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

29th March 1969.

I was spotting on Sheffield Midland station on this day when, incredibly and unexpectedly, the two 6 car WR Blue Pullmans rolled into platform 1 with a special carrying the West Bromwich Albion team, management and some (presumably) well heeled supporters, on the way to the pig sty, aka Hillsborough, for their FA cup semi final match against Leicester, which they contrived to lose 1-0.

Luckily I was camera equipped!

 

Mike.

[Michael Hodgson]

17 hours ago, Hal Nail said:

c1990 I saw Newcastle United, 2nd tier at the time, waiting at Central for a regular train down to Torquay for a cup game.

 

Doubt that would happen now.

They'd be waiting outside Central, waiting for the replacement bus ... and they probably wouldn't be in a cup match😁

[Phil Bullock]

7 minutes ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

29th March 1969.

I was spotting on Sheffield Midland station on this day when, incredibly and unexpectedly, the two 6 car WR Blue Pullmans rolled into platform 1 with a special carrying the West Bromwich Albion team, management and some (presumably) well heeled supporters, on the way to the pig sty, aka Hillsborough, for their FA cup semi final match against Leicester, which they contrived to lose 1-0.

Luckily I was camera equipped!

 

Mike.

With Chairman Lai’s debt to the club outstanding I doubt my beloved Baggies could contemplate such luxurious accommodation these days! 

[The Lurker]

5 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Yes, somewhere in a contemporary model railway magazine, I read about Northampton Town playing, and losing, a final against Swindon Town c1910 (or maybe it was a league thing, not a cup), and the Northampton guys subscribed and bought for the Swindon guys a Gauge 2 (I think) Bassett Lowke (by Bing) GWR 4-4-0 and coaches, and had all the Swindon team names painted onto the compartment doors. The teams had apparently had very close, but friendly, rivalry throughout the season, and had spent so much time riding about the country in trains, that they thought it was a perfect memento. Different times, eh?

 

PS: Swindon Town came top of the Southern League in 1910-11, with Northampton Town a close second, and B&HA third on ‘goal ratio’. It must have been that which prompted the memento.

 

 

A couple of years before that the Cobblers won the Southern League and played Newcastle United in the Charity Shield.

[Leicester Thumper]

One for me to throw in the ring. 

 

When I was based at Leicester (07/14 - 08/20) there was many an occasion where Leicester City chartered a coach,  rather than a train,  to take the team and manager to London bound games. They usually travelled the day before the match. It was always a HST service as it was easier to lock a coach out from the rest of the train. 

 

Schmeichel and fuchs always said hello and had a brief chat with me.  If I was on the right turn I always offered my superiors my services to help get them to the train unhindered. Bless the lads,  they werent always fast at boarding! One of them bought me a Costa once which was nice! 

 

Other modern day examples include Chelsea (it might have been spurs) chartered a 7 car class 222 to take fans to Leicester,  it wasn't an additional foot ex it was paid for by the club,  which I had the pleasure of clearing the stock before sending it ECS to etches Park. I nearly went with it!

 

Not exactly related, but cross country stopped a HST in Leicester circa 2016 on a Sunday morning to take fans to Birmingham for an Aston Villa game. There was engineering works on this Sunday, which closed the line through Tamworth HL and Burton-upon-Trent, so all XC stuff was coming through Leicester. As the first train on a Sunday to Birmingham was at 10.20ish, and usually only a 3 car 170 if lucky, they decided to stop a southbound penzance HST at Leicester. Odd thing about it, it was the first time since circa 2002 timetable where a SW to NE service stopped at Leicester in revenue service! I got giddy with excitement and decided to announce the train on the station PA, was about exhausted after as I had about 20odd stations to announce!

[Steamport Southport]

On 26/08/2023 at 17:43, Nearholmer said:

Any memories of when the teams travelled by special trains?

 

This comes up because my son and I are watching Brighton vs West Ham on the telly, and we’re discussing Brighton’s earlier First Division period, and my memory of a team special, Brighton to Norwich, consisting of only three coaches (maybe actually two coaches and a BG for kit), one of which was a Pullman, headed by an immaculately cleaned 33 (I think one of the “namers”) during the 1979/80 season (I think 7th March 1980). Whetger the 33 worked through, I don’t know, maybe the ER put on a worn-out 31.

 

This sort of thing must have been common ‘in the old days’.

 

 

 

 

Last one I know of a team travelling by train was well later than that. 22 April 2010.

 

When that unpronounceable Iceland volcano (Eyjafjallajökull) went up and all flights were cancelled Liverpool travelled to Spain by train leaving Runcorn and then to London and Eurostar, then to Madrid.

 

Atletico Madrid V Liverpool UEFA Cup semi final. If they hadn't turned up the match would have been forfeited.

 

Also probably the furthest a British team has travelled by train to a match in recent years.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/8635382.stm

 

 

Jason