Service Counter, L. & N.E.R., Buffet Car.

As the height of the summer holiday season approaches in Britain, increasing demands are being made upon the railways in coping with the annual rush to the seaside. Because of the granting of holidays with pay to workers in many industries which hitherto did not offer this privilege, the summer passenger business of the four group railways promises to exceed all previous records. On the publicity side, an enormous amount of telling advertising matter has been put out, relating to train services and the varied attractions of the different resorts, and this year's official holiday handbooks have enjoyed record sales.

These holiday handbooks form, as it were, the backbone of Home railway passenger publicity. They are issued annually by the four main-line systems, and are priced at sixpence per copy. The current London, Midland and Scottish holiday guide consists of 976 pages. It describes more or less fully no fewer than six hundred resorts of all types scattered throughout the system, and includes over 7,000 addresses of hotels, boarding and apartment houses. The London and North Eastern Handbook, with its beautiful coloured cover from a design by Frank Newbold, is an equally comprehensive publication, covering all the East Coast resorts. It contains a complete list of hotels and other accommodation, with tariffs, and its value is greatly enhanced by the inclusion of twenty-one maps of different holiday districts, as well as many fine new pictures in photogravure. Pleasing holiday handbooks also are distributed by the Great Western and Southern lines. The former company's guide is divided into seven geographical sections. It contains about three hundred illustrations in sepia photogravure, seven hundred descriptions of Great Western resorts, and 8,000 holiday addresses.

The Pioneer of the Railway Excursion.

Even in these enlightened days, not every worker is able to indulge in a week or a fortnight at the seaside. For the benefit of these unlucky folk, the Home railways run an enormous number of week-end, day and half-day excursions to the more popular beach resorts, and excursion travel forms a most valuable source of revenue. It is not generally known, but the pioneer of the railway excursion was Thomas Cook, founder of the travel house which bears his name, and which to-day has ramifications throughout the world. Away back in 1841, Thomas Cook conceived the idea of running a cheap excursion from Leicester to Loughborough, on what is now part of the L. M. & S. system. This was the first public railway excursion organised by a private individual and personally conducted by the organiser. The total distance was 24 miles, and 570 passengers were conveyed, at a fare of one shilling for the double journey. In 1845, Mr. Cook determined to conduct the business on a regular commercial basis, and with this end in view, he applied to the railway authorities to place trains at his disposal, he to find the passengers. The first pleasure excursion under this arrangement left Leicester on 4th August, 1845, for Liverpool, with visits to North Wales, the Isle of Man, and Dublin. Mr. Cook compiled, printed and issued a small guide describing the places of interest to be visited, and this guide was the forerunner of the mass of passenger advertising literature circulated nowadays by the railways of the world.

Lime Street Station and Hotel, L. M. & S. Railway, Liverpool.

Holidays on the Continent.

Continental holidays are increasing in favour, and this trend is bringing valuable business to the Southern Railway. This line, in association with the Northern Railway of France, provides the shortest and quickest route between London and Paris. Altogether, the Southern owns 48 ocean-going steamships, and last year these vessels conveyed 4,500,000 passengers, 310,000 tons of cargo, and 57,200 motor-cars, between Britain and France and the Channel Isles. One service, increasing in popularity, is the train-ferry linking Dover with the French port of Dunkirk. This ferry in 1937 conveyed no fewer than 74,000 passengers, 57,000 tons of cargo, and 1,600 motor-cars. Dunkirk, is a convenient point of departure for all corners of Europe.

Eight Million Meals Per Annum.

Home railway revenues are considerably swelled through the subsidiary activities of the four groups. Train and page 24 hotel catering forms an especially profitable side-line, and it has been calculated that in the dining-cars and hotels of the group lines there are served, annually, approximately 8,000,000 meals. The Home railways were probably the first in the world to operate their own hotels for the accommodation of travellers. Little by little, the hotels departments have been extended, and today in almost every big city and most of the popular holiday centres tese convenient railway guest-houses are situated. The L. M. & S. Railway is actually the largest hotel owner in the world. Among the more famous guest-houses on this system are those at Stratford-on-Avon; Lime Street, Liver-pool; and Gleneagles, in the Scottish Highlands. The Great Western operates famous hotels in many districts, one of the largest and best-known being the Manor Hotel, at Moretonhampstead, on the fringe of romantic Dartmoor. This house appeals especially to sportsmen, and is run more or less on country club lines.

New Southern 0-6-0 type Goods Engine.

New Locomotive Type.

For general utility purposes, the G.W. Company has recently commenced the construction in its Swindon shops of twenty 4-6-0 locomotives of a new type, known as the “Manor” class. The engines have driving wheels of 5 ft. 8 in. diameter, a tractive effort of 27,340 lb., and weigh in complete working order with tender 109 tons. The tapered boiler has a barrel 12 ft. 6 in. long. Cylinders are 18 in. by 30 in.; boiler pressure 225 lb. per square inch; total heating surface, 1,615 sq. ft.; grate area 22.1 sq. ft.; total engine wheelbase, 27 ft. 1 in.; tender water capacity, 3,500 gallons; and coal capacity, 6 tons. On the neighbouring Southern Railway, the latest locomotive contribution takes the form of ten new 0-6-0 goods engines, built in the Eastleigh shops, and having a tractive effort of 26,157 lb. The locomotives are fitted with Belpaire type boilers, pressed to 200 lb. per sq. in., grate area being 21.9 sq. ft. A “Sinuflo” superheater is fitted, with an area of 185 sq. ft. The 19 in. by 26 in. inside cylinders have pistons operated by Stephenson valve gear through rocking levers. Total heating surface is 1,432 sq. ft.; total weight of engine and tender in working order, 90 tons; water capacity of tender, 3,500 gallons; and coal capacity, 5 tons.

Success of Electrification.

According to recent official statements, electrification is proving an immense success on the Southern Railway. The Southern, of course, is fortunate in serving territory lending itself admirably to electrification, and the authorities have never sanctioned any conversion without first having assured themselves that the cost and working expenses of electric traction, less the working expenses of the steam service to be withdrawn, would be greatly exceeded by the value of the increased traffic which would result. So far, the results of electrification have greatly exceeded the estimates. The increase in receipts resulting from the London-Brighton conversion, for example, has amounted to a return of 22.6 per cent. upon the outlay. In the London suburban area, the total cost of electrification has resulted in a return of approximately 27 per cent. on capital expenditure, and 16 per cent. on the total expenditure. While on the subject of electrification, it is interesting to note that, with a view to forming an opinion as to the potentialities of main-line conversions, the Great Western Railway has arranged for expert advice to be given concerning the suitabliity or otherwise of electric traction over its trunk routes between Taunton and Penzance.

Germany's “Flying Hamburger” Express.

Germany's High-speed Trains.

Very great changes have been witnessed in Germany in recent times, but the railways centred on Berlin have not been affected to any degree. Rumours were current some time ago that Germany proposed to withdraw from traffic the high-speed “Flying Hamburger” and similar express trains which aroused such immense interest when first introduced. Actually, some of these streamliners were withdrawn for a brief period, and their place taken by steam trains. The reason for this, however, was to allow of adjustments and renewals, and quickly the flyers were restored to regular schedule, providing some of the world's fastest passenger runs.