1970s-80s Stranraer / Larne Sealink trains

[jamesontheroad]

While browsing the Geograph website I found this old photograph of an NIR railcar set liveried for the Sealink Larne/Stranraer connection in 1980...


http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/881797

(click on the photo for info: this is Greenisland station on the Belfast / Larne line... the train is, I think a class 70 MED)

Does anyone know of any photographs online of the equivalently liveried ScotRail sets around the same time?

Thanks!

 

[Ascot]

Interesting. Take a look here http://www.railbrit.co.uk/location.php?loc=Stranraer Harbour

 

[jamesontheroad]

Interesting. Take a look here http://www.railbrit.co.uk/location.php?loc=Stranraer Harbour

Thanks! No sign of anything sporting the SeaLink livery... but a Euston/Stranraer sleeper??? Wow. Think of all the trains low cost airlines have killed off

 

[merlodlliw]

Good Afternoon.

The thread reminds me of the long gone Euston/Holyhead and Manchester /Holyhead boat trains.

As a newspaper circulation man in the 60s & 70s based on Rhyl station,I recall
the Emerald Isle express passing through at 10.00p.m NS., then the Manchester boat train at 12.20a.m(which stopped at Rhyl,) then the Irish Mail around 1.15a.m.NS these boat trains connected with the 3.15a,m sailing to Dun Laoghaire Dublin . I often travelled this route in the 60s on arrival there were two trains in the harbour station, one to Westland Row(now Pierce) and one to the big station at Heuston. It was also interesting to see staff at Dun Laoghaire in BR Uniform and even a BR booking office at Westland Row for cross channel passengers. All before sealink of course.
The two ferries before St Columba had sleeping accomodation both ways.

 

[SouthernCrescent]

Thanks! No sign of anything sporting the SeaLink livery... but a Euston/Stranraer sleeper??? Wow. Think of all the trains low cost airlines have killed off

I was just reading an old Railway Magazine this morning which had an article which mentioned the Stranraer to London sleeper service along with two per night (!) from Aberdeen and Inverness to London. One on each route went via Birmingham and the other direct as it does today. What a shame we don't have them now.

 

[merlodlliw]

I was just reading an old Railway Magazine this morning which had an article which mentioned the Stranraer to London sleeper service along with two per night (!) from Aberdeen and Inverness to London. One on each route went via Birmingham and the other direct as it does today. What a shame we don't have them now.

Also reminds me of the Euston to Barrow Sleeper(late 50s/60s) and of course the Holyhead/Euston sleeper coach which trialled the attempt to run
a helicopter service Holyhead to Dublin Airport & return, I recall the sleeper
coach was attached as first coach on a Euston/Holyhead service which passed through Rhyl at 4.30p,m on its way to Holyhead,then it was attached to the Irish Mail ex Holyhead about 1.30a.m. to Euston. This was a one way service only Holyhead/Euston,The Helicopter firm went bust,it was a strange deal for BR to get involved in, Ex Dublin about 10.00p.m. a kind of reception at a Holyhead Hotel then on the sleeper coach, I once used this service(train) on a very early Sunday service from Chester about 3.00a.m. first stop to Euston.
Long/Long before Ryanair or its bucket seat counterparts.

 

[gingerheid]

There's been a lot of sleeper services in the past!

As well as the ones I've discovered in this thread I recently heard about the Scottish internal sleepers for the first time. And going further back places like Melrose also had London sleepers too.

And I still miss the Glasgow Plymouth / Bournemouth sleepers...

The railways must have been busy overnight in days gone by.

 

[jamesontheroad]

As we career off topic, does anyone know the expected lifespan of the current mk. 3 sleepers? They're in good nick, but they're not going to last for ever. When the time comes to replace them, we will doubtless face the usual battle to defend their necessity, but also a fantastic opportunity to look towards our European neighbours and the hotel-style trains that run overnight across the continent... </dreaming>

 

[krus_aragon]

There's been a lot of sleeper services in the past!

As well as the ones I've discovered in this thread I recently heard about the Scottish internal sleepers for the first time. And going further back places like Melrose also had London sleepers too.

And I still miss the Glasgow Plymouth / Bournemouth sleepers...

The railways must have been busy overnight in days gone by.

A while back, I saw a film set in the 70s called 'The Bank Job'. In the background of a station scene was a red poster titled 'British Rail Sleeper Services' - it was a real network, instead of the two lines with branches like we see today.

 

[jamesontheroad]

For some interesting reading on the demise of the Manchester, Liverpool and Stranraer sleepers, try this search of Hansard, the House of Commons record:

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/search/british%20rail%20sleeper

Edit: and for a specific explanation of one late night parliamentary debate leading up to the suspension of the Euston/Stranraer sleeper, this record:

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1970/jan/29/euston-stranraer-boat-train

 

[williamn]

Given the train in the pic is in Intercity livery I guess the service did carry on for some while after that debate?

And am I the only one who can't figure out how to find the picture referred to in the opening post of this thread?!

 

[jamesontheroad]

Given the train in the pic is in Intercity livery I guess the service did carry on for some while after that debate?

And am I the only one who can't figure out how to find the picture referred to in the opening post of this thread?!

Sorry... I embedded the image with a link around it, although the image wasn't showing up consistently. It's here: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/881797

 

[williamn]

That pic looks like it was taken in Africa or something!

 

[driver9000]

Im not sure if the Sealink rakes were dedicated to ScotRail I think they were Provincial rakes that were used on Sealink connecting services.

I cant find any photographs of the Sealink Mk1 coaches but I have found a couple of photographs of buses that were used on road connecting services where rail connection was unsuitable.

A Leyland Atlantean used by Lancaster City Transport on Sealink duties which carried the same livery as the train:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ian_simpson/2182494767/in/pool-lancastercitytransport

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cliveabrown/3497688814/in/pool-lancastercitytransport

 

[gingerheid]

Given the train in the pic is in Intercity livery I guess the service did carry on for some while after that debate?

No sleeper carriages in the picture though, unless we're looking at a different one?

 

[williamn]

This one!
http://www.railbrit.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=20192

The leading coach isn't a sleeper, but sleepers usually have day coaches as well.

 

[jamesontheroad]

This one!
http://www.railbrit.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=20192

The leading coach isn't a sleeper, but sleepers usually have day coaches as well.

I wouldn't be surprised if, by the end, the Euston/Stranraer sleeper had had more seated accommodation that berths, because by the eighties it really would have lost most business traffic to the plane. I was chatting to a friend in NI this week who also remembered the volume of Northern Irish fresh produce that was loaded onto the ferry in Larne (or the Enterprise to Dublin for ferries to Holyhead) and then onto train for London. Hard to believe now, but fresh Ulster produce was sold in London's markets the day after being picked without air or road freight.

 

[merlodlliw]

I do recall some traffic going via Heysham, named trains like the Rifleman and
Ulsterman. I dont think they were sleepers.

When the bridge went on fire over the Menai, the Ferries and Boat trains were diverted to Heysham.

 

[bnsf734]

I've found a side view of a Sealink Mark 1 coach, only a model !'m afraid but you should get the idea.

I can remember these coaches from Scottish rovers in the early 80's. They were repainted by Springburn works AFAIK and also had the compartment lights replaced by very bright fluorescent lights which were on permanently. As one of the services ran overnight from Glasgow and returned in the early hours, it did not take long for modifications to be made to allow sleep to take place!!

I seem to remember our modification involved taping newspaper over the lights with masking tape to dim the light somewhat.

Calv

 

[krus_aragon]

Were these Sealink carriages used with other sea links?