British Rail Class 251
Encyclopedia
The Blue Pullman was a class
of luxury train used from 1960 to 1973 by British Railways in the United Kingdom. As opposed to the previous Pullman Car Company
locomotive-hauled carriage trains, and the Brighton Belle
electrical multiple units, the Blue Pullmans were the first diesel-electric multiple unit
s designed for high-speed Pullman train services incorporating several novel features.
There were two versions: two six-car sets for British Rail's London Midland Region
(LMR), and three eight-car sets for the Western Region
(WR). In all, five complete Blue Pullman train sets were built by Metro Cammell
in Birmingham, formed from a total of 36 vehicles. Designed by the British Transport Commission
's (BTC) subsidiary British Railways, they were initially operated by the luxury train operator the Pullman Car Company, which the BTC had recently acquired. Shortly after their introduction, in 1962, the PCC was fully nationalised, and operation of the Blue Pullmans was incorporated into the British Rail
network. Originally given the last PCC vehicle numbers, towards the end of their operational life the trains gained the British Rail TOPS
classification of Class 251 (motor cars) and Class 261 (kitchen and parlour cars), although they never carried these numbers.
The mixed-class eight-car WR version operated services out of to Birmingham
and Wolverhampton
and to Bristol
. The all-first-class six-car LMR version operated the Midland Pullman
between and , a journey it accomplished in a record 3 hours 15 minutes despite its maximum speed of 90 mph. The trains were withdrawn from the LMR in 1966 following electrification of the Euston-Manchester line, which brought greatly reduced journey times with which the Midland route could not compete. The LMR six-car Blue Pullmans were then transferred to augment those in the Western Region, where some of the first-class seating was derated to form mixed-class sets.
The Blue Pullman was an advanced and luxurious design, befitting a Pullman train, although it did suffer some criticism, particularly over a persistent ride quality problem. Over time it became costly to maintain such a small fleet of trains. By 1972, with the development of the first-class accommodation in Mark II coaching stock
, the surcharge for Blue Pullman services seemed uneconomical to passengers and BR managers, and in 1973 the trains were withdrawn. None of them was preserved for posterity.
The Blue Pullman train sets were featured in three films, one of the same name, as a documentary of the design and development, and an observation of the first service. From 2006, the Blue Pullman name was revived as a charter railtour
, operated by various companies.
(BTC), which operated the public railways through its British Railways subsidiary, also purchased the full equity of the private Pullman Car Company (PCC). The PCC had been a private operator of luxury first-class trains on the otherwise nationalised passenger network.
Under the 1954 Modernisation Plan, there was a push toward diesel power to replace steam locomotives, and the PCC's coaching stock was ageing. The BTC and PCC formed a committee to examine the possibility of running diesel express passenger trains using new trains. Initially proposed as the Midland Pullman, it was timed to compete on the London to Manchester route against the car and air travel. After being initially rejected for operational reasons, the BTC decided to make use of the reputation of the recently-acquired PCC to operate the new service, and three new multiple unit Pullman 'de luxe' trains were proposed, one for the London Midland Region, and two for the Western Region. A formal announcement from the BTC confirmed in 1957 that Metro Cammell would produce five sets for operation from 1958.
After some production delays, the first set appeared for trials in October 1959. These early trials discovered rough ride quality was a problem, and modifications were made. These mitigated the problem, but it was never entirely removed. The reduction in wheel size from the trouble-free European design was later thought to be a possible cause. It was also noticed that the problem was worse on the 'rougher riding' London Midland Region lines, compared to the Western Region lines.
With completion in 1966 of the electrification of the West Coast Main Line
from London Euston to Manchester London Road (soon to be renamed Manchester Piccadilly), there was the opportunity for a faster electric-locomotive-hauled Pullman service than the diesel sets, and so the London Midland Region Blue Pullman sets were transferred to the Western Region in March 1967. The introduction of newly built Mk1 (non-air conditioned) Pullman carriages on the East Coast Main Line
in 1961 had been questioned as it was believed the Eastern Region had not waited for the completion of evaluation of the Blue Pullman units. The later introduction of 2nd-class air-conditioned Mk2 coaches on these services hastened the perception that the Pullman surcharge was not value for money.
.
London Midland Region operated the "Midland Pullman" from 1960 to 1966 from Manchester Central Railway Station
to St. Pancras via Cheadle Heath in the morning, a fill-in journey from St. Pancras to Leicester and back, and an evening return to Manchester. Briefly in 1962 the fill-in reached Nottingham, but was not well-used and withdrawn.
The Western region initially operated:
The two morning services were both booked to arrive at the same time at Paddington in the morning, giving the possibility of a side by side arrival.
From 1961, an additional morning train, the "South Wales Pullman" operated from Paddington to Cardiff and then Swansea.
The withdrawal of the London Midland services allowed the surplus sets to be used on a new non-stop service for Oxford, and on additional out-and-back services on the Bristol and Swansea routes. The Birmingham services were also eventually withdrawn, with the last services being to South Wales.
Ten Blue Pullman carriages had been reportedly saved from the scrapyard in July 1975 for preservation; however, none have been preserved, and all Blue Pullman units are thought scrapped. A seat unit is preserved on the Bluebell Railway
.
Some of the Blue Pullman motor cars were retained at Bristol Temple Meads and Bath Road until mid-1974 as standby electricity generators, during industrial action in the electricity and coal-mining industries.
The entire train set was air-conditioned with automatic humidity control. Motor cars contained a large primary diesel engine and generator for motive power. A secondary diesel engine and auxiliary generator provided electrical power for the air-conditioning, fridges and ancillary equipment. A single auxiliary was sufficient to power the train systems normally. An onboard technician monitored the supply of services.
The passenger areas were universally formed in armchair type table seating, in a 2+1 formation, each with a table lamp and steward call button. The cabins were protected from track noise by extra insulation in the bodywork and double glazed windows with Venetian blinds contained within the panes.
As such, the sets originally wore a Nanking blue livery, with white window surrounds, and the PCC crest on the front and sides. In 1967 the standard yellow safety front end was applied. In the early 1970s the sets were repainted into a corporate British Rail blue and grey scheme, similar to the prototype Class 252
.
Train sets were originally formed in six- or eight-car lengths. The Midland region operated two sets of 6 first-class seated cars, with the Western operating three sets of 8 cars with first- and second-class seating. Withdrawal of the Midland services also allowed operation of 12-car formations. The seating in the full length of the parlour cars was augmented by seated sections in the motor and kitchen cars, and motor cars also featured a passenger compartment. Every kitchen car had one toilet and each parlour car had two.
Formations were made up as follows:
Blue Pullman
directed by James Ritchie, which followed its development, preparation and a journey on the train. As with earlier British Transport films, many of the personnel, scientists, engineers, crew and passengers were featured. It won several awards, including the Technical & Industrial Information section of the Festival for Films for Television in 1961. The film is also particularly notable for its score, by Clifton Parker
.
The units were also the subject of another British Transport Film, Let's Go To Birmingham, made in 1962. This was of a run from London Paddington to Birmingham Snow Hill via Leamington Spa and was largely a speeded-up "cab view" film in the style of London to Brighton in Four Minutes. Sadly, the driver in the film, Ernest Morris, was killed on 15 August 1963 in the Knowle and Dorridge rail crash
when his express train collided with a freight train at 20 mph (8.9 m/s). The train was a Birmingham Pullman hauled by a Class 52 "Western"
diesel-hydraulic locomotive, a stand-in for the regular stock which would have been a Blue Pullman set.
A Western Region eight-car Blue Pullman set appears twice in the 1963 British Transport Film Snow in both a panoramic view and a passing view from an adjacent track at slow speed. There are also a few very short snips of close side on views of the train passing the camera.
A Blue Pullman unit makes brief appearances in the 1965 Norman Wisdom
film The Early Bird
, destroying Pitkin's milk cart at a level crossing.
The erstwhile Kitmaster company produced an unpowered polystyrene injection moulded model kit for 00 gauge. In late 1962, the Kitmaster brand was sold by its parent company (Rosebud Dolls) to Airfix
. It is thought the tools were destroyed in a fire so no further kits were produced.
Triang
produced ready-to-run models of the power cars and one type of parlour car all of which had dimensional compromises.
In May 2010, Olivia trains of Sheffield have announced their intention to produce a R-T-R model in association with Heljan models of Denmark. On Bachmann's announcement that they would be producing a model, the project was cancelled.
In July 2010 Bachmann announced two versions of the Midland 6 Car set.
Class (locomotive)
Class refers to a group of locomotives built to a common design for a single railroad. Often members of a particular class had detail variations between individual examples, and these could lead to subclasses. Sometimes technical alterations move a locomotive from one class to another...
of luxury train used from 1960 to 1973 by British Railways in the United Kingdom. As opposed to the previous Pullman Car Company
Pullman train (UK)
Pullman trains in Great Britain were mainline luxury railway services that operated with first-class coaches and a steward service, provided by the British Pullman Car Company.-Origins:...
locomotive-hauled carriage trains, and the Brighton Belle
British Rail Class 403
The Southern Railway gave the designation 5BEL to the 5-car all-Pullman electric multiple units which worked the prestigious Brighton Belle trains between London Victoria and Brighton. These units survived long enough in British Rail ownership to be allocated TOPS Class 403...
electrical multiple units, the Blue Pullmans were the first diesel-electric multiple unit
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
s designed for high-speed Pullman train services incorporating several novel features.
Introduction
Named after their custom blue livery, the trains were conceived under the 1955 Modernisation Plan, to create new luxury first-class diesel express trains aimed at competing with the motor car and the emerging domestic air travel market. Although not entirely successful in their own right – they were seen as underpowered, unreliable, and ultimately not economically viable – the Blue Pullmans demonstrated the possibility of high-speed fixed-formation multiple-unit inter-city train services, and inspired the later development of the Inter City 125, which resembles them in having an integral power car at each end of the train.There were two versions: two six-car sets for British Rail's London Midland Region
London Midland Region of British Railways
The London Midland Region was one of the six regions created on the formation of the nationalised British Railways and consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway lines in England and Wales. The region was managed first from buildings adjacent to Euston Station and later from Stanier...
(LMR), and three eight-car sets for the Western Region
Western Region of British Railways
The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
(WR). In all, five complete Blue Pullman train sets were built by Metro Cammell
Metro Cammell
The Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon Company was a Birmingham, England based manufacturer of railway carriages and wagons, based in Saltley and subsequently Washwood Heath....
in Birmingham, formed from a total of 36 vehicles. Designed by the British Transport Commission
British Transport Commission
The British Transport Commission was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain...
's (BTC) subsidiary British Railways, they were initially operated by the luxury train operator the Pullman Car Company, which the BTC had recently acquired. Shortly after their introduction, in 1962, the PCC was fully nationalised, and operation of the Blue Pullmans was incorporated into the British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
network. Originally given the last PCC vehicle numbers, towards the end of their operational life the trains gained the British Rail TOPS
TOPS
Total Operations Processing System, or TOPS, is a computer system for managing the locomotives and rolling stock owned by a rail system...
classification of Class 251 (motor cars) and Class 261 (kitchen and parlour cars), although they never carried these numbers.
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
and to Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. The all-first-class six-car LMR version operated the Midland Pullman
Midland Pullman
The Midland Pullman was the name given to a former express passenger train service operating on British Railways' old Midland Main Line between and via and Millers Dale...
between and , a journey it accomplished in a record 3 hours 15 minutes despite its maximum speed of 90 mph. The trains were withdrawn from the LMR in 1966 following electrification of the Euston-Manchester line, which brought greatly reduced journey times with which the Midland route could not compete. The LMR six-car Blue Pullmans were then transferred to augment those in the Western Region, where some of the first-class seating was derated to form mixed-class sets.
The Blue Pullman was an advanced and luxurious design, befitting a Pullman train, although it did suffer some criticism, particularly over a persistent ride quality problem. Over time it became costly to maintain such a small fleet of trains. By 1972, with the development of the first-class accommodation in Mark II coaching stock
British Rail Mark 2
The Mark 2 family of railway carriages were British Rail's second design of carriages. They were built by British Rail workshops between 1964 and 1975...
, the surcharge for Blue Pullman services seemed uneconomical to passengers and BR managers, and in 1973 the trains were withdrawn. None of them was preserved for posterity.
The Blue Pullman train sets were featured in three films, one of the same name, as a documentary of the design and development, and an observation of the first service. From 2006, the Blue Pullman name was revived as a charter railtour
Railtour
A railtour is a special train which is run in order to allow people to experience rail travel which is not available using timetabled passenger services...
, operated by various companies.
Inception
In June 1954, the British Transport CommissionBritish Transport Commission
The British Transport Commission was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain...
(BTC), which operated the public railways through its British Railways subsidiary, also purchased the full equity of the private Pullman Car Company (PCC). The PCC had been a private operator of luxury first-class trains on the otherwise nationalised passenger network.
Under the 1954 Modernisation Plan, there was a push toward diesel power to replace steam locomotives, and the PCC's coaching stock was ageing. The BTC and PCC formed a committee to examine the possibility of running diesel express passenger trains using new trains. Initially proposed as the Midland Pullman, it was timed to compete on the London to Manchester route against the car and air travel. After being initially rejected for operational reasons, the BTC decided to make use of the reputation of the recently-acquired PCC to operate the new service, and three new multiple unit Pullman 'de luxe' trains were proposed, one for the London Midland Region, and two for the Western Region. A formal announcement from the BTC confirmed in 1957 that Metro Cammell would produce five sets for operation from 1958.
Problems
The selection of PCC caused some initial delays due to trade union staffing problems, due to variances in the pay and conditions of Pullman staff compared to BTC train staff, and the wrongly-held belief that PCC was still a private company.After some production delays, the first set appeared for trials in October 1959. These early trials discovered rough ride quality was a problem, and modifications were made. These mitigated the problem, but it was never entirely removed. The reduction in wheel size from the trouble-free European design was later thought to be a possible cause. It was also noticed that the problem was worse on the 'rougher riding' London Midland Region lines, compared to the Western Region lines.
With completion in 1966 of the electrification of the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
from London Euston to Manchester London Road (soon to be renamed Manchester Piccadilly), there was the opportunity for a faster electric-locomotive-hauled Pullman service than the diesel sets, and so the London Midland Region Blue Pullman sets were transferred to the Western Region in March 1967. The introduction of newly built Mk1 (non-air conditioned) Pullman carriages on the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
in 1961 had been questioned as it was believed the Eastern Region had not waited for the completion of evaluation of the Blue Pullman units. The later introduction of 2nd-class air-conditioned Mk2 coaches on these services hastened the perception that the Pullman surcharge was not value for money.
Services
The Blue Pullmans operated Monday to Friday Pullman services, and commenced on 23 July 1960 with the London Midland Region, with the two Western Region Pullmans starting on 12 September. Weekends were reserved for maintenance, and also allowed their occasional use on special or charter services to events such as the Grand NationalGrand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
.
London Midland Region operated the "Midland Pullman" from 1960 to 1966 from Manchester Central Railway Station
Manchester Central railway station
Manchester Central railway station is a former railway station in Manchester City Centre, England. One of Manchester's main railway terminals between 1880 and 1969, it now houses an exhibition and conference centre named Manchester Central.-History:...
to St. Pancras via Cheadle Heath in the morning, a fill-in journey from St. Pancras to Leicester and back, and an evening return to Manchester. Briefly in 1962 the fill-in reached Nottingham, but was not well-used and withdrawn.
The Western region initially operated:
- The "Birmingham Pullman", Wolverhampton Low LevelWolverhampton Low Level railway stationWolverhampton Low Level was a railway station on Sun Street, in Springfield, Wolverhampton, England .It was built by the Great Western Railway, on their route from London to Birkenhead via Birmingham...
to London Paddington, via Birmingham Snow Hill in the morning, a fill-in journey from Paddington to Birmingham Snow Hill and back, and an evening return to Wolverhampton via Birmingham. - The "Bristol Pullman", Bristol Temple MeadsBristol Temple Meads railway stationBristol Temple Meads railway station is the oldest and largest railway station in Bristol, England. It is an important transport hub for public transport in Bristol, with bus services to various parts of the city and surrounding districts, and a ferry service to the city centre in addition to the...
to London Paddington and back, twice in a day.
The two morning services were both booked to arrive at the same time at Paddington in the morning, giving the possibility of a side by side arrival.
From 1961, an additional morning train, the "South Wales Pullman" operated from Paddington to Cardiff and then Swansea.
The withdrawal of the London Midland services allowed the surplus sets to be used on a new non-stop service for Oxford, and on additional out-and-back services on the Bristol and Swansea routes. The Birmingham services were also eventually withdrawn, with the last services being to South Wales.
Withdrawal
Towards the end of their operational life, the Blue Pullmans were operated as three makeshift sets formed from various original cars, to maintain a working service. With the imminent introduction of the InterCity 125 sets, and declining reliability, the last sets were withdrawn en masse in May 1973. A farewell Commemorative special journey, out and back from Paddington, was operated by the Western Region, travelling for 12 hours via High Wycombe, Banbury, Leamington Spa, Kenilworth, Coventry, Birmingham New St. Next, Cheltenham, Bristol Temple Meads, the Severn Tunnel, Swansea, Cardiff, Bristol Parkway, Didcot and Slough.Ten Blue Pullman carriages had been reportedly saved from the scrapyard in July 1975 for preservation; however, none have been preserved, and all Blue Pullman units are thought scrapped. A seat unit is preserved on the Bluebell Railway
Bluebell Railway
The Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East and West Sussex, England. Steam trains are operated between and , with an intermediate station at .The railway is managed and run largely by volunteers...
.
Some of the Blue Pullman motor cars were retained at Bristol Temple Meads and Bath Road until mid-1974 as standby electricity generators, during industrial action in the electricity and coal-mining industries.
Design
The Blue Pullman trains were designed for a maximum speed of 90 mi/h. The fixed coupling of the DMU design reduced much of the jerky movement experienced by conventionally buffered carriage travel and allowed smooth acceleration and stable running. The bogies featured hydraulically-damped helical springs, and the axles were pneumatically braked in a two-stage system, allowing highly controlled stopping.The entire train set was air-conditioned with automatic humidity control. Motor cars contained a large primary diesel engine and generator for motive power. A secondary diesel engine and auxiliary generator provided electrical power for the air-conditioning, fridges and ancillary equipment. A single auxiliary was sufficient to power the train systems normally. An onboard technician monitored the supply of services.
The passenger areas were universally formed in armchair type table seating, in a 2+1 formation, each with a table lamp and steward call button. The cabins were protected from track noise by extra insulation in the bodywork and double glazed windows with Venetian blinds contained within the panes.
Livery
To emphasise the new type of service, the traditional PCC livery of brown and cream was replaced with a blue livery, and associated brand image, and coaches would be named simply Pullman, rather than given individual names. Seating would also be different from traditional Pullman coaches, increasing from 1+1 to 1+2.As such, the sets originally wore a Nanking blue livery, with white window surrounds, and the PCC crest on the front and sides. In 1967 the standard yellow safety front end was applied. In the early 1970s the sets were repainted into a corporate British Rail blue and grey scheme, similar to the prototype Class 252
British Rail Class 252
Class 252 was the classification allocated to the prototype High Speed Train unit, numbered 252001.-History:When originally built, in 1972, the prototype High Speed Train units were considered to be formed of two locomotives at either end of a rake of carriages...
.
Technical details
Power car (one at each end of set):- Introduced: 1960
- Weight: 67 tons 10 cwt
- Engine: NBLNorth British Locomotive CompanyThe North British Locomotive Company was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow locomotive manufacturing companies; Sharp Stewart and Company , Neilson, Reid and Company and Dübs and Company , creating the largest locomotive manufacturing company in Europe.Its main factories were...
/MANMAN B&W DieselMAN Diesel SE was a provider of large-bore diesel engines for marine propulsion systems and power plant applications. MAN Diesel employs over 7,700 staff, primarily in Germany, Denmark, France, the Czech Republic, India and China...
1000 bhp - Motors: two 199 hp GECThe General Electric Company plcThe General Electric Company or GEC was a major British-based industrial conglomerate, involved in consumer and defence electronics, communications and engineering. The company was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It was renamed Marconi Corporation plc in 1999 after its defence arm,...
traction motors (plus two on the adjoining car) - Maximum tractive effort: Not known
- Driving wheel diameter: Not known
- Coupling code: Not known
- Train heating: Electric, powered by 190 bhp Rolls-RoyceRolls-Royce LimitedRolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
underfloor engine on adjoining vehicle
Formation
The Blue Pullman train sets were formed from three basic types of car, a motor car, kitchen car and parlour car. In service the cars were permanently coupled and hermetically sealed for maintenance of the air-conditioning settings. For maintenance, the sets were formed from symmetrical pairs, with a motor car at each end, and 2 kitchen cars serving their respective halves of the train. In an emergency, the buffers on the front of the sets were used in conjunction with a normally-concealed coupling hook.Train sets were originally formed in six- or eight-car lengths. The Midland region operated two sets of 6 first-class seated cars, with the Western operating three sets of 8 cars with first- and second-class seating. Withdrawal of the Midland services also allowed operation of 12-car formations. The seating in the full length of the parlour cars was augmented by seated sections in the motor and kitchen cars, and motor cars also featured a passenger compartment. Every kitchen car had one toilet and each parlour car had two.
Formations were made up as follows:
Midland Pullman
| DMBF | MFK | TF | TF | MFK | DMBF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60090 | 60730 | 60740 | 60741 | 60731 | 60091 |
| 60092 | 60732 | 60742 | 60743 | 60733 | 60093 |
Western Pullman
| DMBS | MS | TFK | TF | TF | TFK | MS | DMBS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60094 | 60644 | 60734 | 60744 | 60745 | 60735 | 60645 | 60095 |
| 60096 | 60646 | 60736 | 60746 | 60747 | 60737 | 60647 | 60097 |
| 60098 | 60648 | 60738 | 60748 | 60749 | 60739 | 60649 | 60099 |
In film
The units starred in the 1960 British Transport FilmBritish Transport Films
British Transport Films was an organisation set up in 1949 to make documentary films on the general subject of British transport. Its work included internal training films, travelogues , and "industrial films" promoting the progress of Britain's railway...
Blue Pullman
Blue Pullman (film)
Blue Pullman is a 1960 short documentary film directed by James Ritchie, which follows the development, preparation and a journey from London to Manchester on new British Rail Blue Pullman units....
directed by James Ritchie, which followed its development, preparation and a journey on the train. As with earlier British Transport films, many of the personnel, scientists, engineers, crew and passengers were featured. It won several awards, including the Technical & Industrial Information section of the Festival for Films for Television in 1961. The film is also particularly notable for its score, by Clifton Parker
Clifton Parker
Clifton Parker was an English composer, particularly noted for his film scores. During his career, he composed scores for over 50 feature films, as well as numerous documentary shorts, radio and television scores, over 100 songs and music for ballet and theatre.- Life :Edward John Clifton Parker...
.
The units were also the subject of another British Transport Film, Let's Go To Birmingham, made in 1962. This was of a run from London Paddington to Birmingham Snow Hill via Leamington Spa and was largely a speeded-up "cab view" film in the style of London to Brighton in Four Minutes. Sadly, the driver in the film, Ernest Morris, was killed on 15 August 1963 in the Knowle and Dorridge rail crash
Knowle and Dorridge rail crash
The Knowle and Dorridge rail crash was a fatal rail crash that occurred at Dorridge railway station in the West Midlands, England, on 15 August 1963...
when his express train collided with a freight train at 20 mph (8.9 m/s). The train was a Birmingham Pullman hauled by a Class 52 "Western"
British Rail Class 52
British Rail assigned Class 52 to the class of 74 large Type 4 diesel-hydraulic locomotives built for the Western Region of British Railways between 1961 and 1964...
diesel-hydraulic locomotive, a stand-in for the regular stock which would have been a Blue Pullman set.
A Western Region eight-car Blue Pullman set appears twice in the 1963 British Transport Film Snow in both a panoramic view and a passing view from an adjacent track at slow speed. There are also a few very short snips of close side on views of the train passing the camera.
A Blue Pullman unit makes brief appearances in the 1965 Norman Wisdom
Norman Wisdom
Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, OBE was an English actor, comedian and singer-songwriter best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring his hapless onscreen character Norman Pitkin...
film The Early Bird
The Early Bird
The Early Bird is a 1965 British comedy film directed by Robert Asher and starring Norman Wisdom. It also featured Edward Chapman, Bryan Pringle, Richard Vernon, John Le Mesurier and Jerry Desmonde. It was the first Norman Wisdom film to be shot in colour...
, destroying Pitkin's milk cart at a level crossing.
Models
There have been several commercial models of the Blue Pullman, of varying dimensional accuracy.The erstwhile Kitmaster company produced an unpowered polystyrene injection moulded model kit for 00 gauge. In late 1962, the Kitmaster brand was sold by its parent company (Rosebud Dolls) to Airfix
Airfix
Airfix is a UK manufacturer of plastic scale model kits of aircraft and other subjects. In Britain, the name Airfix is synonymous with the hobby, a plastic model of this type is often simply referred to as "an airfix kit" even if made by another manufacturer....
. It is thought the tools were destroyed in a fire so no further kits were produced.
Triang
Triang
The term Triang can refer to* Teriang, a town in Pahang, Malaysia.* Tri-ang Railways, a British toy trains manufacturer.* Lines Bros, a company using the Tri-ang brand name....
produced ready-to-run models of the power cars and one type of parlour car all of which had dimensional compromises.
In May 2010, Olivia trains of Sheffield have announced their intention to produce a R-T-R model in association with Heljan models of Denmark. On Bachmann's announcement that they would be producing a model, the project was cancelled.
In July 2010 Bachmann announced two versions of the Midland 6 Car set.
See also
- George PullmanGeorge PullmanGeorge Mortimer Pullman was an American inventor and industrialist. He is known as the inventor of the Pullman sleeping car, and for violently suppressing striking workers in the company town he created, Pullman .-Background:Born in Brocton, New York, his family moved to Albion,...
- Pullman CompanyPullman CompanyThe Pullman Palace Car Company, founded by George Pullman, manufactured railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the early decades of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Pullman developed the sleeping car which carried his name into the 1980s...
(USA) - British Rail brand namesBritish Rail brand namesBritish Rail was the brand image of the nationalised railway owner and operator in Great Britain, the British Railways Board, used from 1965 until its breakup and sell-off from 1993 onwards....
- List of British Rail classes