Sleeping Car train formations. Late 1950's

[45568]

I am seeking information on formations of sleeper expresses in the late1950's. More specifically, what non-sleeper coaches might be regularly in the formation. I am assuming a full brake for luggage and guards accomodation, but would there be 'sitting" coaches for non sleeper passengers, a buffet car?

 I am looking at the overnight sleeper expresses, specifically GC or ECML, not the Motorail sleepers or Starlight express of the slightly later era.

Thanks in advance,

Cheers,

Peter C.

[robertcwp]

I don't think there were any sleeping car trains on the GC (at least not the London Extension) until the Euston trains were diverted during the station rebuilding.  Starlight trains ran from the mid-1950s through until 1962 but these were not sleeping car trains.

 

Here is an East Coast formation from the winter 1957-8 timetable:

 

ECML_1957-8_0028 copy by Robert Carroll, on Flickr

 

ECML_1957-8_0029 copy by Robert Carroll, on Flickr

[45568]

Thanks Robert for that very informative post!

Cheers,

Peter C.

[Gwiwer]

There was a whole swathe of sleeping car services on the ECML in the 1950s with services slowly dwindling over the years until the few which remained were transferred to Euston much later.

 

Formations varied as some trains were "Sleeping car passengers only" and typically conveyed only a van or two in addition to a dozen or more sleeping cars with no seated accommodation.  Others, usually those which made more intermediate stops, offered seating and sleepers with sometimes only second class seats.  Again the actual formation varied but buffet cars were not generally used overnight - you took your own food or waited until you got off.  Vans could be an eclectic mix; I have photos for example of the West Highland sleeper as late as 1974 with what appears to be an ex-LMS van in the formation.  4-wheel former "Insulfish" vans were used for parcels traffic on the overnight York - Aberystwyth (seats but non-sleeper) train until the mid 1970s.

 

There were exceptions.  The Fort William portion which was conveyed on one of the Edinburgh trains didn't convey an overnight buffet but had one attached (along with seating coaches) at Glasgow Queen Street; the breakfasts served on the West HIghland route were the stuff of legend. 

 

Sleeping car passengers generally got tea or coffee and biscuits with their morning wake-up call.  Some Anglo-Scottish services offered first class sleeping car passengers a breakfast tray as well.  Other than that there was generally no catering provision on overnight trains.  Some (non-sleeper) cross-country trains from the north-east to the south-west were booked for extended stops at Bristol Temple Meads which allowed passengers to use a platform buffet kept open overnight for that purpose.