Pullman Car Services

PULLMAN CAR SERVICES The Quality of Service is Remembered Long after the Price is Forgotten SPECIAL EDITION No.9 1966 - 2016 British Rail Mk 2 Pullman Cars. ©J.Salmon - PCS-Archive. The Manchester Pullman arriving at Euston. Pullman Car Services-Archive - Special Edition No.9 1966 - 2016 British Rail Mk2 Pullman Cars - Issue 1 - March 2016 Page 1 of 36 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the final build of Pullman car within the United Kingdom. As part of the 25kv electrification of British Railways London Midland Region the British Railways Board ordered a total of 172 new integrally-constructed main line locomotive hauled carriages. In late 1963 the planning for the West Coast Pullman services began with the involvement of the London Midland Region, the Pullman Division of British Transport Hotels and the British Railways Board, the meetings continued during 1964. The order for twenty nine all first class new designed Pullman cars which would form four new Pullman car sets, to be delivered in late 1965 or early 1966, with spares, this was placed on November 11th 1964 with BR Derby works. The construction of the twenty nine cars was scheduled within BR Derby works during 1965, and would make two eight-car sets for the London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly service and two four-car sets for the London Euston to Liverpool lime Street service. The locomotive-hauled cars featured interior design detail similar to that of the diesel "Blue Pullmans", but will have the new BR standard Mark II integral coach bodies. The ‘Manchester Pullman’ service will be an all-Pullman train, whilst the ‘Liverpool Pullman’ will be a Pullman service within an otherwise orthodox express. The twenty nine cars consisted of three types of Pullman car, these being as follows: - Six Pullman First Kitchen (PFK). Eleven Pullman First Parlour (PFP). Five Pullman First Brake (PFP). Each car will be identified by the continuation of the Pullman Car Company three figure schedule number with the prefix of M. The design of the cars was of an exceptionally high standard, and followed the then BR standard integral pattern of coach body, with detail modifications to suit Pullman service, such as the recessed inward-opening doors. Double-glazed body side windows, are fitted in two portions, a glazed frame unit fixed from the outside and a hinged glazed frame inside; a dividing window pan forms a type of double glazing which is not hermetically sealed. Venetian blinds operated from handles fixed in the body sides are inserted between the inner and outer windows in the parlour saloons. The car’s interior design closely followed the excellent standard created by Jack Howe, the BRB Design Panel's consultant, for the diesel "Blue Pullman" sets. Only a few modifications had been made, these affect the seats, which are of different design and were of a more pleasing appearance and performance. The combination of baffled central fluorescent ceiling panel and luggage rack sited lamps above each table provides highly satisfactory lighting, the wall surfaces were made up of a random selection of rosewood panels, which created a pleasingly unobtrusive relief to the eye. Internal decoration of the saloons consists of Lanid-faced panels on the body sides and on the ceiling above the luggage racks, transverse partitions are of rosewood timbers or veneers. Luggage racks extend longitudinally the full length of the saloons, and there are also luggage compartments provided at the car ends. Seats are arranged two and one astride the central aisle. They are individually adjustable, by use of levers in the sides of the seat, from a normal position either backwards to reclining or forwards to an upright position for dining. In the saloons of all three car types the main source of illumination is a fluorescent fitting running along the centre of the ceiling and containing two rows of 4ft 40watt fluorescent tubes mounted behind a Perspex diffuser. There is additional lighting above each seating bay in the form of 40watt tungsten lamps mounted on the underside of the luggage racks, the toilet compartments are decorated in plastics panels with Vinyl asbestos floor tiling. Pullman Car Services-Archive - Special Edition No.9 1966 - 2016 British Rail Mk2 Pullman Cars - Issue 1 - March 2016 Page 2 of 36 Features of the toilet are pedal controls for flushing the WC and the provision of Chilton shaver points operating on 115V or 230V a.c. Illuminated toilet indicators -''toilet engaged" - are fitted above the doorway in the end partition of the passenger saloons of each car. Full air conditioning, is provided throughout the passenger saloons of all three types of car and powered by the 800V a.c. train heating supply from the locomotive. The supply to each car is subdivided by a distribution fuse box mounted on the car underframe into four circuits: to an 800/240V transformer which feeds the control panel; to one half of the air heater circuit; to the other half of the air heater circuit; and to the floor heaters. The fuse box also distributes circuits to the toilet water heaters and to the guard's or attendant's compartments where applicable. Situated in the recirculating air filter chambers (located between the parlour saloon and toilet compartment) are four thermostats, one for air and floor heat, one for air heat and two for low limit cooling. Temperature control is varied by a five position switch: off; vent, which supplies filtered air without temperature control; low, which brings in the air and floor heater circuits and blows warm filtered air into the saloons until a temperature of 68 °F is sensed by the thermostats; and medium or high, which actuates similar equipment to that of the low position, but with a temperature range of 71-73°F or 74-76 °F respectively. Where the temperature rises above the setting the thermostat senses the rise and shuts off the heaters. The low limit cooling thermostats bring into operation the compressor motor and condenser fan motor, which circulate refrigerant to the evaporator on the air-conditioning unit; this results in a draught of cooler air into the saloons until a lower temperature is achieved. The flow of air in the car is achieved by the introduction of outside air through filters at the end lobby, mixed with a proportion of filtered recirculating air. The air is blown by the fan motor over the air heater and cooling coils of the air-conditioning units and distributed down the car by ducts in the roof to be delivered to the saloons through metering boxes on each side of the centre fluorescent light fitting. Part of the air delivered into the car is allowed to escape 10 outside atmosphere through exhaust grilles in the body side of the toilet and attendant's compartments, but a slight pressure is always maintained within the car. Bell communication is provided between passenger seating bays in the saloons and kitchens; when a passenger operates a bell push the bell will ring on the service panel in the kitchen car and an indicator on the panel will show the attendant the direction from which the signal has been made. Another indicator remains illuminated above the table concerned until the attendant cancels it by use of a reset button situated on the table leg. A switch is provided at the end of each parlour car to allow the attendant to switch the bell system through to the kitchen car. There is public address equipment in the passenger saloons of all types of car, a microphone and pre-amplifier unit is fitted in the attendant's compartments of kitchen cars and passenger saloons have 5in diameter loudspeakers mounted in the saloon ceiling, four in each parlour and parlour brake car and two in each parlour kitchen car. The kitchen cars are comprehensively fitted with modern equipment with complete with ovens, grilles and ring burners heated by propane gas. Additionally, the range has an electrically-heated water tank. The range is supplied by eight propane gas cylinders housed in four boxes suspended from the underframe at the kitchen end of the car. Other equipment includes: an electrically-heated hot case for plate and dish warming; a coffee machine, electrically heated and capable of supplying two gallons of coffee and one gallon of milk, a refrigerator with one deep freeze compartment accessible from the kitchen and domestic compartments accessible to both the kitchen and the pantry. All working surfaces in the kitchen are covered with stainless steel and adjacent to the kitchen is a pantry and staff compartment and a linen cupboard is accessible from the corridor. Both the kitchen and pantry sink units were fitted with sterilisers. The guard's compartment of parlour brake cars is provided with a 300W food warmer. Pullman Car Services-Archive - Special Edition No.9 1966 - 2016 British Rail Mk2 Pullman Cars - Issue 1 - March 2016 Page 3 of 36 The electricity power supply to the cars is taken from two sources, a 24V supply from a bogie-mounted CAV Ltd. Type AC14-24-4M alternator driven from the adjacent axle by vee belts, and the 800V a.c. supply from the train-heating circuit fed from the locomotive. The low-voltage supply feeds car lighting, fans in the parlour kitchen car, the public address system, bells and the guard's food warmer of the parlour brake cars. The high voltage equipment supplies the air-conditioning and kitchen equipment. There is an 800/240V transformer on each car for part of the air-conditioning control equipment and to cater for the kitchens. The exterior design of the Pullman cars was to some extent influenced by the need to adapt the then existing standard integral carriage design, using standard pressings and panelling but with structural modifications to suit Pullman car features.

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