Posted on 12/11/2008 6:56:17 PM PST by Stoat
As these newly discovered photographs reveal, the everyday workings of God's Wonderful Railway (as it was dubbed) reveal a world of style, order and civility almost unimaginable to harassed commuters.
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It is a timely reminder that there was a time, a few decades back, when travel was a glamorous experience and where the passengers' comfort was paramount.
This glimpse into a long-forgotten world would have remained lost and forgotten itself were it not for a tireless team of volunteers.
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It has taken thousands of hours of research by rail enthusiasts to sift through them and piece together the stories behind them
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
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A waiter serves serves tea in a dining car in the Thirties when being a GWR employee was considered a prestigious job
A Class 4 locomotive suspended from the ceiling in preparation for a valve fitting at Swindon Works in 1951
Holiday crowds waiting to board The Torbay Limted Express in 1926
This publicity shot from the Thirties emphasises the style and cool sophistication of train travel at the time
GWR prided itself on being on the cutting edge of innovation with its vending machines
Restaurant cars were introduced for first class passengers in 1896 and four years later for second class travellers. Here a chef prepares a meal in 1946
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More related images available here:
STEAM Museum of the GWR holds thousands of images relating to the Great Western Railway and British Railways (Western Region). These images cover a wide range of subjects including industrial engineering and social history, country views and people, as well as locomotives, trains and rolling stock.
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Here are scenes inside the STEAM museum in the centre of Swindon Works, used as the GWR's main railway works were they built and ran many locos designed by famous engineers: Sir Daniel Gooch, G.J. Churchward and C.B Collett who kept the GWR tradition alive in its heyday!
YouTube - STEAM Museum of the Great Western Railway
(Amateur video runs 9 minutes, twelve seconds)
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The Museum is closed on 25 and 26 December, and 1 January. Please note that STEAM closes at 3.00pm on 24 December.
If you would like to visit the Library and Archive please click here.
STEAM – Museum of the Great Western Railway
Kemble Drive
Swindon
SN2 2TA
Tel: 01793 466 646
Fax: 01793 466 615
Textphone: 01793 466 618
Look out the windows of that first pic. That train must have been traveling at 5000 feet...heheh.
been away busy for some time what with Christmas an all.
Now you get on a train where the ticket bloke is rude, the little scrotes and chav’s make a loud of noise swearing and if an old lady or elderly man looks at them they say what you looking at hey.
The train is never on time and is way overpriced. I took my family to York(beautiful place I might add) and the train ride was awful.
We then went to Blackpool for a day and on the way back had to deal with some little drunken scrotes.
Course when they see that one can stick up for ones self they soon move on.
also forgot to add.
I never buy anything on a train now but instead pack some butties and drink as the train prices are a right rip off and crap and that is putting it mildly
That picture was actually the cabin of an airplane. Not a train, but an airplane.
Wow, nice airplane.
The first and 4th pictures look like the same cabin.
Delighted that you're back :-)
Now you get on a train where the ticket bloke is rude, the little scrotes and chav’s make a loud of noise swearing and if an old lady or elderly man looks at them they say what you looking at hey.
The train is never on time and is way overpriced. I took my family to York(beautiful place I might add) and the train ride was awful.
We then went to Blackpool for a day and on the way back had to deal with some little drunken scrotes.
Course when they see that one can stick up for ones self they soon move on.
I'm very sorry to hear that....the world has certainly changed since these photos were taken and not much for the better. Fortunately, many of us still at least have our memories of gentler times. Even though these photos were taken long before I was born, I still have memories of a time when things were not so brutal. I suppose that the best thing for everyone to do who cares about such things is to create a world of kindness and decency in our own families and lives, and teach our children to do the same. One day the world may regain it's senses and our children can teach manners to the new generations.
Various efforts in several places have been made over the years to start a deluxe rail line modeled after the ones from the early part of the last century but most have gone out of business or have changed to 'garbage service' as it's apparently no longer financially viable to do things so nicely anymore. I understand that there's a deluxe line in Canada that follows a particularly scenic route that provides wonderful meals and a traditional rail travel experience....it may well be subsidized by the Canadian government, however.
Proving yet again, that those who don't know their history . . . . .
(In this case, repeating THIS history wouldn't be a bad thing. The old passenger rail service in Europe, Britain and the US endeared me to train travel as a kid. I loved it then and would STILL travel by train if there were any trains going where I am going and the service wasn't Amtrak.)
“
Rail Britannia: Newly found pix reveal train travel was once
glorious experience, not shabby ordeal Great Western Railway
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Western_Railway
“
For reference on The Great Western Railway.
And a famed engineer that participated in its’ creation.
And a short article on one of the ships he helped design...
and can even now be seen at Bristol.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isambard_Kingdom_Brunel
SS Great Britain
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Great_Britain
Sombody needs to cover her with a Burka, the once “Great Brittan” has been neutered by the Muslims within her midst. The tragedy is her own citizens have willingly subjugated themselves to Isalm.
Actually, the first class cars on the Penn were quite nice back in the day as well. Nevertheless, I still prefer the Acela to any of the airlines when I need to go to DC.
Add in the smell of sh-t beer on everyone's breath, and it sounds like the 1:40 on the NE Corridor line of NJ Transit!
As a youngster I grew up in Canada. I’m old enough to remember coal fired steam trains & cabooses. As a kid I was always fascinated when watching station masters stand on the train platform, hold up a pole with a loop on the end, the train engineer would catch it as the train passed the platform by hooking his arm through it. There was a message attached to the hook pole, this was back when the telegraph (dit daa dit daa dit dit) was still being used to communicate between RR stations. No radio communication with the train engineer.
Proving yet again, that those who don't know their history . . . . .
....will find a way to rationalize societal decline :-)
(In this case, repeating THIS history wouldn't be a bad thing. The old passenger rail service in Europe, Britain and the US endeared me to train travel as a kid. I loved it then and would STILL travel by train if there were any trains going where I am going and the service wasn't Amtrak.)
I'm not intimately familiar with the financial arrangements of Amtrak, but my understanding is that it is HEAVILY subsidized by taxpayers....yet service and quality remains abysmal....another testament to the lie of "if it's broken, let Government run it and it will all be better".
Not in MY book, but I understand that you are agreeing with me.
As for Amtrak's financial arrangements, they are well beyond being "HEAVILY subsidized by taxpayers", they are (essentially) government workers. Several times, the issue of continuing Amtrak's funding has come up in the House or Senate and they continue to squeak by. Were it not for that "taxpayer subsidy", Amtrak would have beeb declared insolvent long ago.
So, I agree that people in government who have never run anything in their lives other than their mouths, have no business running a railroad or anything else!! Amtrak is what happens when we let the government run things. Katrina (which will never go away in ANY of our lifetimes) is what happens when the government runs things. VA healthcare is what happens when the government runs things.
Heading to Chicago on AMTRAK over Christmas .... roomette and all ..!!!
Thank you so much for providing all of those great links....all very interesting!
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