GWR Super Saloons

The original backers of the GWR had adopted Isambard Kingdom Brunel's plan to speed trans-Atlantic Ocean passage for both passengers and freight by providing a direct route from London westwards to the connecting ports located in the West Country and Wales. However, many of the financial backers were based in Bristol, itself a major port, and so although the company eventually developed Brunel's plan, the only major high-speed railway connection was eventually developed to Plymouth.[1]

Post-World War I and with the United States now economically booming, new developments in Ocean Liner design and construction brought about new, faster ships with more luxury capacity. These nouveau-riche first-class passengers were used to speed, quality and service; mixing with commuters and third class passengers, let alone mail and freight, was not what they wanted. What the new passengers required were high-speed dedicated boat train services.[1]

As a result, from the mid-1920s a new race to attract the Ocean Liners and hence these passengers began between the Southern Railway and the GWR. Although the GWR had access to Southampton Docks via a circuitous route, the company decided to instead focus on developing services from Plymouth. Effectively, this would save ocean liners 6hrs of steaming in the crowded English Channel, and reduce the overall travel time by 4hrs.[1] By 1930, 684 liners had 38,472 passengers at Plymouth, with the vast majority being trans-Atlantic customers who then needed transport to London.[2]

The GWR was reluctant to use Pullman Carriages, considering its own carriages luxurious enough. However, in 1928 the GWR board approved the lease from Pullman Company of seven cars - four Kitchen Cars and three Parlour Cars, No's 252-258 - with construction subcontracted to Metropolitan Cammell in Birmingham. Initially deployed from May 1929 on the London Paddington-Plymouth Millbay service, amongst standard GWR stock within the Ocean Liner Express boat train. These trains were also known as the "Cunarders", as Cunard were the main shipping company that docked their trans-Atlantic services in the port.[1]

From 8 July 1929, the Pullman cars were deployed in a new train the Torquay Pullman Limited, an all-Pullman service which ran two days a week between London Paddington and Paignton, stopping at Newton Abbot and Torquay only. Not a commercial success, the train returned for the 1930 timetable as a 3 car only service, but was withdrawn at the end of the summer timetable, with the carriages stored at Old Oak Common. A proposal was made to return the full seven car train in summer 1931, but the decision was taken not to operate the service.[3]

In 1929, under the auspicies of Chief Mechanical Engineer Charles Collett, the GWR board agreed development from 1929 of a new, bigger carriage for the Ocean trains. Due to the GWR's original adoption of broad gauge, its resultant loading gauge using standard gauge track was larger than any other UK railway. This would allow the company to develop a larger bespoke-carriage to its own dimensions, which could be far bigger than the current Pullman saloons it was using, and which were also available to the SR.[1][4]

Collett made full use of the loading gauge advantage, designing a basic carriage shape that was 61 feet 4.5 inches (18.707 m) in length and 9 feet 7 inches (2.92 m) wide—a full 7 inches (180 mm) wider than a standard British loading gauge carriage.[1][4] The result was that the Swindon Works designated "Super Saloons"—which also became known as "Ocean Saloons" and "Cunarders" in service operation—were restricted to the mainline of the GWR that had been originally developed as broad gauge.[1][4] Hence, each carriage had painted on its end plate:[1][4][5]

Not to run over the Eastern and Western Valleys, North of Saltney Junction or between Littlemill Junction and Maindee Junction.

Collett had also designed in a clearance insurance policy, by designing the carriages with a bow-end, allowing him to inset the end doors as well as angling them at 30degrees to the main body.[1][4]

All Super Saloons were built within Swindon Works Lot No. 1471,[1][4][6] the first two carriages fitted out by specialist contractor Trollope & Co. under Diagram G.60 in 1931,[1][4] whilst the remaining six were all fitted out by the Swindon Works Saloon Gang under Diagram G.61 in 1932.[1][4] Initially the windows were of a wind-down Beclawat type, but these were replaced in 1935 with the more conventional 4 element sliding vents.[1][4] Once the exterior was completed, each of the carriages were fitted-out with fine French-polished light-coloured walnut, with book-matched burr veneer panels on the interior sliding doors and fold-down tables, outlined with gold-leaf hairlines.[1][4][6] Each carriage was then equipped with 30 free-moving (but heavy, to stop them moving during the journey) wing-back chairs: 26 in saloon; 4 in coupé.[1][4] The complete run of eight carriages, all named after member of the British Royal Family were as opulent as the Pullmans they replaced, and showed this when out shopped with an unladen weight of 35 long tons (36 t).[1][4][7]

With the Super Saloons now fully available for traffic, the lease on the seven Pullman cars was terminated at the end of 1931, and the carriages were sold to the Southern Railway, joining their Western Section carriage fleet pool at Clapham Junction.[3] The legacy of the Super Saloons included Collett's 1935 development of the new "Centenary" carriages built for the Cornish Riviera Express, which again made full use of the wider loading gauge on that route.[4]

Introduced in 1931, the Ocean Liner Express ran direct London Paddington to and from Plymouth Millbay, non-stop all the way. Passengers were charged a full first-class fare as appropriate for their journey, plus a one-way tariff of 10 shillings to use the carriages.[1][4][5]

Due to their weight, commonly only five Super Saloons were operated in one train at any one time, together with two passenger brake vans to accommodate the passengers excessive luggage needs.[1][4] Often, trains were reduced to just three Super Saloons and two passenger brake vans, allowing the final diagramed express train to reach higher top speeds.[1][4] The Ocean Liner Express was always banked both ways over the Devon and Wellington Banks.[1][4]

Five of the eight Super Saloons have survived into preservation: