[John Webb]

There is a book by B. Haresnape "Pullman - Travelling in Style" published in 1987 which may be useful, although I've not seen it myself.

The 1913 Pullman Car 'Topaz' is preserved by the NRM, but I don't have a picture of it and it originally ran on the SE & Chatham Railway anyway! There is a MR Dining Car which dates from the same period and definately has 6-wheel bogies.

The NRM 'Search Engine' is probably worth trying.

Regards,
John Webb

 

[John Webb]

QUOTE (John H-T @ 9 Dec 2008, 21:11) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>..... The other two were based at St. Albans. They were used for about 4-5 years before the 4-4-0T were returned to the M&GNR.....

Being from the St Albans area I was interested to read the above. Looking at my copy of "St Albans to Bedford" in the Midland Main Line series published by the Middleton Press in 1993, photo 18 shows one of the coaches and one of the M&GN 4-4-0T engines standing in the bay platform of Harpenden station. Taken in 1906 the loco and coach formed the local train on the Harpenden-Hemel Hempsted branch off the Midland Main Line north of Harpenden.

Photo 23 shows one of the coaches standing in a siding at Hemel Hempsted around 1910, and Photo 25 shows distance view of a 4-4-0T and coach at Heath Park halt between Hemel and Boxmoor in 1905. (NB The Midland Railway always spelt Hempsted that way!) The book does not say when the service using these engines and coaches - known to the Midland as 'Auto cars' - ended.

The branch closed to passengers in 1947, to all freight except deliveries to and from the Lightweight Concrete Co. in 1964 and that stopped in 1979 when the branch was closed and disconnected in connection with the electrification of the St Pancras-Bedford route.

Regards,
John