Here's Christmas and New Year Greetings, hearty and sincere. May “New Zealand Railways Magazine” readers everywhere enjoy a really happy Christmas, and may the best of good fortune attend one and all throughout the New Year.–From Our London Correspondent.

Britain's Popular All-Pullman Trains.

Christmas and New Year travel is nowadays a vastly more comfortable affair than was once the case. The stage-coach and the railway carriage of pioneering days were quite remarkable vehicles, but the twentieth century traveller would certainly hesitate before venturing upon a long-distance journey in such equipment.

During the present winter season the Home railways are making a special effort to afford the traveller a maximum of comfort. A feature of the season's passenger operation is the extensive employment of the Pullman car. Some years ago Pullman cars were utilised only to a very limited extent in Britain. The Southern Railway was the pioneer of the Pullman in England: its “Southern Belle” Pullman train between London and Brighton is one of the oldest and most popular Pullman services in the world.

Recently the Southern has introduced several new all-Pullman trains. One new service runs between London (Waterloo) and Southampton Docks, in connection with the American steamship sailings. Another all-Pullman service of the Southern operates between London and the popular south-coast beach resort of Bournemouth. This is known as the “Bournemouth Belle.” The London and North-Eastern Railway also favours Pullman trains for long-distance travel. Between King's Cross Station, London, and the north of England and Scotland, numerous fast all-Pullman trains are operated by this progressive railway.

Sleeping Cars and Night Travel.

Night travel is a feature at this season of the year, and on the L. and N.E.R. new third-class sleeping cars, of an exceptionally pleasing type, have just been introduced. The new cars, operating between London and Scotland, are of a different design from earlier third-class sleepers. Previous vehicles have been of the convertible type, and could be used, if required, as ordinary third-class corridor carriages. The new sleeping cars, however, are not convertible, but are used on trains in which there is a constant demand for sleeping accommodation.

The cars are 9ft. 3in. wide and 66ft. 6in. long over body. They provide berths for thirty-two passengers. The body is built of teak, and Limpet asbestos felt packing is provided to minimise noise. The under-frame is entirely of steel, mounted on two bogies. Buckeye automatic couplers and page 18 Pullman vestibules and vacuum brakes are fitted. The compartments are panelled throughout in teak, each compartment having one window in the body side and none on the corridor side, thus ensuring privacy. The fixed berths are provided with Vito mattresses upholstered in blue and fawn moquette. To facilitate access to the upper berth a small ladder is fixed near the window. Each compartment has a large mirror in the sliding door, and the lighting equipment includes a special enclosed reading lamp at the head of each berth. Separate lavatory and toilet compartments are provided at each end of the vehicles. The wash basin is of large size and is supplied with hot and cold water. A drinking water filter is also fitted, together with an automatic cup dispenser, in order that each passenger may be provided with a clean cup.

An Aid To Travel Comfort.
New Type of Pullman Car introduced on the Home Railways.

Fabric Covering for Carriage Exteriors.

A most interesting development in passenger carriage design in Britain in recent times is the employment of fabric covering for main-line passenger carriage exteriors, in place of a finish of paint and varnish. Since July, 1928, the Southern Railway has been running a fabric covered main-line passenger carriage finished in the Company's standard colours. Some time ago, having completed 180,000 miles, this carriage underwent overhaul. The fabric was found to have stood up to the conditions very well, remaining pliable and uniform in colour. Both the London and North-Eastern and the District Railway of London also have fabric-covered passenger carriages in use.

The advantages of fabric covering are considerable. A standard main-line carriage can be covered in three days, as against three weeks required for painting and varnishing new stock. The work can be done in any temperature out of doors, provided the weather is dry-a most important consideration in repair work. The fabric is stretched over the panels and not stuck; and the pigment is anchored to the cotton cloth, and not to the panels; hence the creeping and movement of joints underneath does not break up the surface, as it does paint and varnish. Being synthetic, the surface is not affected by heat, and cold; and being non-porous, the dirt does not get into the pigment, but may easily be removed with soap and water, applied with an ordinary carriage-washing broom.

Fabric has for long been employed in Britain for interior carriage work. The Southern Railway has standardised scratch-proof fabric for lining door panels in its latest type of passenger carriage, while the L. and N.E. line also makes extensive use of fabric for page 19 the interior lining of sleeping-cars. The employment of this material for exterior work is a most interesting development, and the carriages so covered (and now on the road) present a remarkably spick-and-span appearance.

Modern Luggage-handling Systems.

During the past few years many improvements have been made in the methods employed by the Home railways for handling passengers' luggage. One of the most elaborate luggage-handling systems now in operation is that of the Southern Railway, in connection with the movement of passengers' luggage to and from the Continent.

Modern Handling Of Passengers' Luggage Reduces Worry.
The new luggage registration hall at Victoria Station, London.

Registered luggage to and from the Continent is handled in a special luggage office at Victoria Station, London. Here some 350,000 pieces of luggage are dealt with annually. A passenger for the Continent arriving at Victoria hands his luggage to an outside porter, who loads the trunks on to a barrow and transports them to the luggage hall. On a patent weighing machine in the centre of the hall the luggage is weighed, and a weight ticket handed to the owner. On one side of the hall is a row of ten windows, at any of which the passenger may register his luggage. Here all the excess and similar charges are paid through to destination, be it Paris or Constantinople, and the passenger is handed the top copy of the luggage ticket which is made out in triplicate, with which to claim the luggage at the journey's end. The trunks are labelled and numbered to correspond with the number shown on the ticket, and the passenger sees no more of his trunks until arrival at destination. The second copy of the ticket accompanies the luggage on the journey, in care of the guard, and the third copy is retained at Victoria for audit purposes. The arrangement is absolutely fool-proof, no mistakes can be made, and the passenger is relieved of all worry concerning his belongings from beginning to end of the journey.

How the Railways Meet Special Transport Problems.

In the course of their operations, railways are called upon to transport many strange loads. Out-of-gauge consignments are constantly passing between works and docks, and recently the Southern Railway of England conveyed over their system a huge collection of wild animals. All the Home railways include in their wagon stocks vehicles specially strengthened to convey elephants, page 20 while many strange types of freight car are available for handling other exceptional loads.

The large numbers of railway locomotives built at Home for shipment overseas have been responsible for the putting into traffic by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway of a new type of high-capacity wagon capable of conveying large loads of this kind between the makers' shops and the ports of shipment. The car takes the form of a 65-ton trolley, so constructed that, on arrival at the port, the locomotives may be run directly on their own wheels to an accommodation track alongside the ship. The design which provides for this end off-loading is unique, and the new trucks are claimed to be the first of their kind in the world.

The trucks are built in detachable sections, each comprising two six-wheeled bogies, two end cantilever sections, and one main beams section. The bogies and end section are linked in the usual way by steel centre castings and pins, and the end sections support the centre beams on high tensile steel hangers, and are connected through a steel pin at each corner of the well. The trucks are 72ft. in length, and have a well 40ft. in length. The tare weight is 49 1/2 tons.

Looking Forward to the Journey.
Here's an unusual “out of cage” load recently conveyed over the Southern Railway of England.

Four pressed steel cantilevers, reinforced and connected by steel plates and pressed steel crossbars, the whole being attached to the rolled steel joist bolsters, form the end section. The outer cantilevers carry the suspenders through which the main side beams, are attached, and the centre cantilevers support the centre beams. To the rolled steel joist crossbars at each end of the main beams section there are fitted two hydraulic jacks, these supporting the trolley and its load on the rail after the bogie and end section have been removed. Removable rails support the locomotive on the truck, and the rails are capable of adjustment to suit the different gauges of the locomotives that are shipped.

Most comfortable travel on the Continent.

A tourist recently returned from a trip through Europe expressed the view that the most comfortable travel found on the Continent was that provided by the State Railways of Denmark. The Danish railway system is much smaller than that of most European countries. In all, there are only 1,500 miles of railway track in the land. What the Danish lines lack in mileage, however, they more than make up for in comfort.