Remembered by many as the high point of the 1950s modernisation of British Railways, the Blue Pullman trains set new standards of comfort and design, yet had a short and unhappy life, with much of it spent by necessity on the Western Region. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES explains all.
The seeds of the Blue Pullman project were sown in 1954 when the British Transport Commission obtained a controlling interest in the Pullman Car Company. At that time a great deal of interest was being expressed in the use of fixed-formation diesel trains for express services. Although a luxury diesel wasn’t included in the Modernisation Plan itself, proposals were sufficiently advanced for a scheme to be put forward later the same year.
Both the Western and the London Midland Regions expressed interest in the idea, with eight-car sets being proposed for services from London Paddington to Bristol, Cardiff and Birmingham and a six-car version for London Euston to Derby along the Midland Main Line, although this was later extended through the Peak District to Manchester.
Above: In the final months of Blue Pullman service a Western Region eight-car set headed by an ex-Midland Region power car departs from London Paddington on May 4 1973. By now the units we…
