Mid-Day Scot

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Mid-Day Scot
Midday Scot passing Warrington Bank Quay, 1954 (geograph 4261633).jpg
Midday Scot passing Warrington Bank Quay on 9 July 1954. The locomotive is Stanier/Ivatt Princess Coronation Class 8P 4-6-2 No. 46257 City of Salford.
Overview
Service typePassenger train
First service27 September 1927
Last service1965
Former operator(s) LMS, BR
Route
Start London Euston
End Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Princes Street
Service frequencyDaily
Line(s) used West Coast Main Line

The Mid-Day Scot was a British express passenger train launched in 1927 running from Edinburgh Princes Street and Glasgow Central, joining to form a train to London Euston.

Contents

The Mid-Day Scot was introduced by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway company in September 1927. [1] In 1928 a section of the train departed Princes Street at 1.30pm [2] with weekend return fares of £5 10s (1st class) (equivalent to £333.82in 2019) [3] and £3 6s (3rd class) (equivalent to £200.29in 2019). [3]

As with many named express trains, the name was discontinued during the Second World War. The name was inherited by the London Midland Region of British Railways and re-instated for the winter timetable in 1949. [4] In 1953 a modest time improvement was introduced to save 15 minutes on the schedule with the train leaving London Euston at 1.30pm and arriving at Glasgow at 9.35pm. [5]

Four coaches of the Mid-Day Scot derailed at Uddingston railway station, nine miles south of Glasgow on 17 June 1957. One person was killed and five were injured. [6]

In the timetable for winter 1959–60, the Mid-day Scot became non-stop between Carlisle and London, having in earlier years called at Rugby. It was accelerated by 49 minutes in the down (northward) direction and by 30 minutes in the up, for a new journey time in both directions of 7 hours 15 minutes, identical with the other two daytime named trains of the period between the two cities, the Royal Scot and The Caledonian . All three trains were restricted to eight coaches to save weight, and the number of passengers carried was limited to the seating capacity of the train, standing passengers not being permitted. [7]

Coppenhall Junction rail crash

See Coppenhall Junction rail crash (1962)

On Boxing Day, 1962, the Mid-Day Scot hauled by English Electric type 4 diesel D346, with 13 coaches and 500 passengers, ran into a Liverpool to Birmingham service hauled by an electric locomotive with eight coaches with 300 passengers, near Crewe. Eighteen people, including four children, died in the crash, with many more injured. [8] The line at Crewe had recently been fitted with the latest signalling system. The enquiry blamed both the driver, John Russell, and the fireman, Victor McCallum. When held at a red light, they attempted to telephone to Coppenhall junction signal box, but they were unsuccessful because the signal telephones on the up lines had failed just previously. The driver then acted on his own initiative and, without seeing or ascertaining that the line was clear to the next signal, as required by the rules, he passed the signal at red and proceeded forward at a speed much in excess of that demanded by the circumstances. He saw the next signal change from red to yellow for the Birmingham train and it seems he assumed that it had become clear for his train and accelerated. Neither he nor his fireman saw the Birmingham train until it was too late. [9]

See also

List of named passenger trains of the United Kingdom

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Coppenhall Junction railway accident

On the evening of 26 December 1962, cold weather and snow in and around Crewe had caused points to become frozen and trains were being detained at signals. About midway between Winsford and Crewe, the 13:30 Glasgow Central to London Euston Mid-Day Scot, hauled by an English Electric type 4 diesel, with 13 coaches and 500 passengers, was stopped at a signal but the driver found the telephone to Coppenhall Junction, the next signal box ahead, out of order. Seeing the next signal ahead he decided to proceed down towards it and use the telephone there, but too fast. In the darkness he failed to notice the 16:45 express from Liverpool Lime Street to Birmingham New Street, hauled by an electric locomotive with eight coaches with 300 passengers, standing on the line ahead and collided with it at about 20 mph (32 km/h).

References

  1. ↑ "L.M.S. Railway. The Winter Timetable" . Derby Daily Telegraph. England. 16 September 1927. Retrieved 13 November 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. ↑ "Let and Autumn Visit to London" . The Scotsman. Scotland. 30 October 1928. Retrieved 13 November 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. 1 2 UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  4. ↑ "Restaurant Cars" . Nottingham Journal. England. 8 September 1949. Retrieved 13 November 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ↑ "Faster Expresses" . Dundee Courier. Scotland. 15 September 1953. Retrieved 13 November 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ↑ "Four Coaches of Mid-Day Scot Derailed" . Birmingham Daily Post. England. 18 June 1957. Retrieved 15 November 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ↑ "The winter timetables of British Railways: The West Coast speed-up". Trains Illustrated. Hampton Court: Ian Allan. December 1959. p. 584.
  8. ↑ "Scots relive nightmare of holiday train disaster" . Aberdeen Evening Express. Scotland. 27 December 1962. Retrieved 15 November 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ↑ "Inside story of Mid-Day Scot's Boxing Day Crash. 'Save Time' Driver Broke Rules" . AberdeenPress and Journal. Scotland. 14 August 1963. Retrieved 15 November 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.
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