Special trains from London Waterloo to Witley, Surrey

[Lifelong]

Good morning,

I wondered whether anybody could shed any light on the accuracy (or otherwise) of the likelihood of special train(s) running from Waterloo to Witley, for the sole use of pupils and staff from King Edward's Witley (apparently with the school crest on the outside of the train) in the 1950s? I believe I've heard of something similar running to Christ's Hospital School but wasn't previously aware of a Witley train. An old pupil of the school has raised this, and thought i'd triangulate with the experts....thank you

 

[The exile]

No specific knowledge, but should think that it was pretty likely that they did. Having said that, what was from a school perspective “the school train” may have simply been a service train strengthened by a few vintage coaches (or in this case an extra unit).

 

[Magdalia]

Good morning,

I wondered whether anybody could shed any light on the accuracy (or otherwise) of the likelihood of special train(s) running from Waterloo to Witley, for the sole use of pupils and staff from King Edward's Witley (apparently with the school crest on the outside of the train) in the 1950s? I believe I've heard of something similar running to Christ's Hospital School but wasn't previously aware of a Witley train. An old pupil of the school has raised this, and thought i'd triangulate with the experts....thank you

If the school had a significant number of boarders living in and around London, then yes, it is likely that special trains would have run from Waterloo at start of term and to Waterloo at end of term.

The Southern isn't my research area, but the following are examples of schools in East Anglia that had special trains at start and end of term:

Felsted, Royal Hospital School near Ipswich, Felixstowe, Framlingham, St Felix.

Two others I'm aware of are Oundle and Ampleforth.

 

[Taunton]

Was King Edward's the School whose headmaster refused the offer of a Schools class 4-4-0 named after it? It's a notable omission from the mainstream schools in the Southern's area. For the special school trains efforts were sometimes made to have the right (and certainly not the wrong) Schools class loco haul it.

1960s and a relative was starting at a school in Bexhill, for which the "School Train" was to leave Victoria, and so our various families were dragged along to view her grand departure. I was contemplating what loco might be turned out, it eventually turned out that the total number travelling were ... three. They occupied one seating bay in a (new then) 4-CIG with a sad-faced teacher who had been sent up to bring them back .

 

[70014IronDuke]

Was King Edward's the School whose headmaster refused the offer of a Schools class 4-4-0 named after it? It's a notable omission from the mainstream schools in the Southern's area.

I thought that was "Uppingham"?

If I recall correctly, they [the SR] had the nameplates made, and the head or some school big wig complained and the SR didn't use it.

I also have a story at the back of my mind the despite this, the school itself managed to get hold of one nameplate and display it!

But perhaps I've got it all wrong.

EDIT: @Lifelong - if you do not get a definitive answer here, you might try the Southern Email Group, where folks have unbelievable knowledge of which type of rivets were used on the Class N tender and how they differed from those on the Class U, at least up to 1938. (Not to insult the many experts on here, of course.) I'll be now someone there will know.

 

[Gloster]

As far as the name Uppingham is concerned, the headmaster who retired in 1934 strongly disliked anything that smelt of advertising (so vulgar), so his successor, who also had strong views, wrote to the SR objecting to the fact that the school‘s (or its headmaster’s) permission had not been sought beforehand. The school apparently and possibly uniquely now has both nameplates, which reportedly spent many years tucked away at Ashford. The loco does seem to have run for a few months with the original name.

 

[30907]

The only contemporary unofficial source would be something like the Railway Observer, otherwise the weekly Special Traffic Notices for beginning/end of term would have details (including block reservations/additional coaches on regular services - at least this was BR(S) usage).

I can conceive of a special headboard (made in woodwork lessons?) being permitted (unofficially at least), and that could have incorporated a crest.

However, as the line had been electrified since 1957, chances are the special would have been formed of one or more 4-Cor sets in between their regular commuter workings. For practical reasons it would have run independently (Witley was then served only by stoppers outside the peaks, and detraining the pupils would have taken more than the permitted 20sec.). ECS back to Waterloo/Wimbledon via Haslemere?

 

[robvulpes]

Heading off at a bit of a tangent, but as a (day, state grammar) schoolboy catching the train home from Woking each day 1969-76, Sherborne School had a special to/from Waterloo which I saw at the beginning and end of each term. Diesel hauled by that time (memory fading, but I THINK Warship, then Cl.33, then possibly Cl.47, like the scheduled trains on that route.) I'm not sure the specials lasted to the end of my schooldays.

 

[WesternLancer]

The school crest incorporated on signs or posters / labels in carriage windows of any reserved carriages for the use of pupils? could that have been an approach as opposed to say a dedicated headboard?

 

[35B]

Was King Edward's the School whose headmaster refused the offer of a Schools class 4-4-0 named after it? It's a notable omission from the mainstream schools in the Southern's area.

It is certainly true that Kings College School Wimbledon refused the offer of a naming in the first 20, then ate humble pie to be included in the final batch.

This was part of oral tradition while I was a pupil and has more recently been confirmed by the school archivist from the school’s records.

 

[Taunton]

The traditional school for sons of (real) GWR directors was Marlborough. George Behrend said that a principal task for the stationmaster there was cashing cheques for them at the station. The GWR ran a special School Train from Paddington at each start/end of term, which may have had a headboard, and apparently had a restaurant car! George Behrend, in his book "Gone With Regret" also went to Marlborough in the 1930s, and writes in the book about this train.

 

[Gloster]

The traditional school for sons of (real) GWR directors was Marlborough. George Behrend said that a principal task for the stationmaster there was cashing cheques for them at the station. The GWR ran a special School Train from Paddington at each start/end of term, which may have had a headboard, and apparently had a restaurant car! George Behrend, in his book "Gone With Regret" also went to Marlborough in the 1930s, and writes in the book about this train.

The last passenger train to Marlborough on 1 May 1964 was a school special hauled by Hymek D7096. Unfortunately the Westbury driver didn’t realise how far back track lifting had got and had already changed ends before starting to run round: the loco went off the end of the line, damaged its fuel tank and spilt several hundred gallons of fuel oil.

 

[70014IronDuke]

As far as the name Uppingham is concerned, the headmaster who retired in 1934 strongly disliked anything that smelt of advertising (so vulgar), so his successor, who also had strong views, wrote to the SR objecting to the fact that the school‘s (or its headmaster’s) permission had not been sought beforehand. The school apparently and possibly uniquely now has both nameplates, which reportedly spent many years tucked away at Ashford. The loco does seem to have run for a few months with the original name.

Ah, thanks for clarification/confirmation. (You may well have been my original source for this story, I suspect.)