Refreshment Cars in the 1960's

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I have just come across a copy of an ABC Manchester Railway Guide, price 2 shillings and 6 pence, dated 1st May to 17th June 1962 that I must have used whilst at university. There is a full page advertisment headed "Refreshment Cars" and the prices are as follows:-

BREAKFAST (Full)..................................8s.6d.
BREAKFAST (Plain)................................5s.0d.

LUNCHEON (Table d'Hote)......................12s.6d.

TEA (Afternoon Tea).............................3s.6d.
TEA (High Tea).....................................8s.6d.

DINNER (Table d'Hote)...........................13s.6d.

Seats in the Refreshment Cars may be reserved by application to the Conductor prior to the departure of the train from Teminus Stations or joining the train en route.

Dogs are not allowed to be taken into the Refreshment Cars.

When you realise that one shilling equates to 5p today. it shows how prices have changed! Has anyone else any similar comparisons?

 

[Greenback]

I remember my school teacher being outraged when BR sandwiches went up to 37p in 1978!

 

[Mojo]

I remember my school teacher being outraged when BR sandwiches went up to 37p in 1978!

Based on inflation a 37p sandwich in 1978 should now cost £1.65. From what I've heard, BR sandwiches were quite simple to say the least. Given that most shops sell basic (eg. egg, tuna mayo, cheese) sandwiches for 99p or £1, the price of a sandwich has fallen substantially in recent years!

 

[Nym]

That and theres been a step change in the way pepole eat and travel, there isn't demand for resturant style service in 1st class rail travel any more, and where there is demand, it's a niche that would be too expensive to satisfy.

 

[Greenback]

Based on inflation a 37p sandwich in 1978 should now cost £1.65. From what I've heard, BR sandwiches were quite simple to say the least. Given that most shops sell basic (eg. egg, tuna mayo, cheese) sandwiches for 99p or £1, the price of a sandwich has fallen substantially in recent years!

Yes indeed, the ones I remember from my childhood had only one or two (at the most) fillings. The most exotic were Ham and Tomato or Egg and Cress. I believe Cheese and Onion may have been another but I don't actually remember seeing one in the flesh!

It was far more common to see Ham, Bacon, Cheese or Egg. Chicken was rare, and prawns unheard of. I can remember the great excitement in 1987 when BLT (with mayonnaise) appeared for the very first time!

 

[All Line Rover]

Yes indeed, the ones I remember from my childhood had only one or two (at the most) fillings. The most exotic were Ham and Tomato or Egg and Cress. I believe Cheese and Onion may have been another but I don't actually remember seeing one in the flesh!

It was far more common to see Ham, Bacon, Cheese or Egg. Chicken was rare, and prawns unheard of. I can remember the great excitement in 1987 when BLT (with mayonnaise) appeared for the very first time!

Sounds a bit like XC!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

It is only when some of the more "executive" rail tour operators advertise some of their one day rail experiances, that you may still find the "silver-service" still being offered.

 

[Striker]

I remember my school teacher being outraged when BR sandwiches went up to 37p in 1978!

Not meaning to offend but how can you remember such an irrelevant piece of info for the last 33 years?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Not meaning to offend but how can you remember such an irrelevant piece of info for the last 33 years?

I think you cannot realise just how much anything that British Rail sold in those days was so overpriced that it remains imprinted on your memory for life :cry:

 

[Yew]

and the differance between Afternoon Tea and High Tea is?

 

[OxtedL]

and the differance between Afternoon Tea and High Tea is?

If you don't understand that, you should really be socialising with the plebians, and not bothering us with your petty requests for information...!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

and the differance between Afternoon Tea and High Tea is?

You would never have asked this question in 1962 as you would have known the answer without thinking.

I , unfortunately was well into my final educational period by then, when this was common knowledge.

High Tea was a meal with a cooked dish and tea. This is why it cost 5 shillings more than Afternoon Tea.

 

[Greenback]

Not meaning to offend but how can you remember such an irrelevant piece of info for the last 33 years?

No offence taken! I cna remmebr it clearly as it wa spart of school trip, and the teacher warned us all to take our own food as the price of station sandwiches had gone up! He said in a very deep, gruff Welsh voice:

'Only last week, British Rail increased the price of a sandwich to 37p'

His voice, and the message, will stay with me for ever!

 

[Daimler]

Based on inflation a 37p sandwich in 1978 should now cost £1.65. From what I've heard, BR sandwiches were quite simple to say the least. Given that most shops sell basic (eg. egg, tuna mayo, cheese) sandwiches for 99p or £1, the price of a sandwich has fallen substantially in recent years!

Well, let's not forget that a BR sandwich (whatever its quality and complexity!) would have been sold at a premium when compared to shop-bought products.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

When my aunt and uncle took me to Newcastle from Manchester in the late 1950's, there was a Restaurant Car on the train (which seemed to be about 12 coaches long) and my aunt had thoughtfully made a reservation with a member of staff once we boarded, as a cooked meal was just what was required on a journey from Manchester to Durham. I was 11 at the time and this was in August, just before I started my Secondary education at a college in Manchester. I had never had a meal of that type before on a train and years later, I found that this had been a treat for me for passing my eleven-plus exams and obtaining a place at my new college.

 

[Yew]

You would never have asked this question in 1962 as you would have known the answer without thinking.

I , unfortunately was well into my final educational period by then, when this was common knowledge.

High Tea was a meal with a cooked dish and tea. This is why it cost 5 shillings more than Afternoon Tea.

Aha, so afternoon tea is a cuppa and maybe a cakey thing

Whereas High tea would be an evening meal (by modern standards, some people have it around 5pm, some have around 7-8pm. It seems Tea and dinner are interchangable anmd combined these days)

 

[Greenback]

Afternoon tea is traditionally finger sandwiches, often cucumber, and cakes or fancies.

High Tea can still be found in Scotland - we had a very nice one in Inverness where my gammon steak was accompanied by hot buttered toast!

 

[Madge Wildfire]

I have just come across a copy of an ABC Manchester Railway Guide, price 2 shillings and 6 pence, dated 1st May to 17th June 1962 that I must have used whilst at university. There is a full page advertisment headed "Refreshment Cars" and the prices are as follows:-

BREAKFAST (Full)..................................8s.6d.
BREAKFAST (Plain)................................5s.0d.

LUNCHEON (Table d'Hote)......................12s.6d.

TEA (Afternoon Tea).............................3s.6d.
TEA (High Tea).....................................8s.6d.

DINNER (Table d'Hote)...........................13s.6d.

Seats in the Refreshment Cars may be reserved by application to the Conductor prior to the departure of the train from Teminus Stations or joining the train en route.

Dogs are not allowed to be taken into the Refreshment Cars.

When you realise that one shilling equates to 5p today. it shows how prices have changed! Has anyone else any similar comparisons?

When you consider that most ordinary workers were earning around £6 or £7 a week in those days, and that was for a 45 hour standard week - 8 hours Monday to Friday and 5 on a Saturday morning - the cost of train meals was rather expensive, especially when adding the ticket cost to this.

In 1962, you could have bought about 10 pints of beer in a pub for the price of that dinner (mind you, it would probably be the new fangled keg beer such as Double Diamond or Watneys Red Barrel which was not so inviting).

I think petrol was about 2/6 (12.5p) a gallon then, which would be 8 gallons to the pound. Using 40 mpg would give around 320 miles to £1, which was about the return fare from Grantham to Kings Cross.

With a wife and two kids to pay for, you can see why people like my Dad drove everywhere instead of taking the train.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

When you consider that most ordinary workers were earning around £6 or £7 a week in those days, and that was for a 45 hour standard week - 8 hours Monday to Friday and 5 on a Saturday morning - the cost of train meals was rather expensive, especially when adding the ticket cost to this.

I must confess that in my earlier posting, I omitted to mention that my uncle was a Solicitor and was a Senior Partner in a law firm in Morpeth, which meant that the cost of the meal to him would not had been the onerous buden on top of the rail fare on that specific journey. They had a large house near to Finchale Priory.