Description
These Pullman Cars were built by the Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. Ltd. for the LNER and were numbered 73 to 76.
In 1923 the LNER introduced the Harrogate Pullman, bringing Pullmans back to the East Coast Main Line after an absence of thirty years. It worked initially from King’s Cross to Harrogate via Leeds, soon being extended via Ripon to Newcastle. In 1925, it was further extended to Edinburgh, and renamed as the Harrogate and Edinburgh Pullman in 1925.
Upon another extension to Glasgow in 1928, the train was renamed to the Queen of Scots. To coincide with this, a rake of all-steel cars of five different types were built and this etch represents one of these. They were reputedly the finest and best appointed cars ever to be owned by the Pullman Car Company. All five types are available in the Comet range.
In due course, particularly after World War II, they would have been found on other Eastern Region Pullman services, i.e. the Yorkshire Pullman, the Tees-Tyne Pullman and The Master Cutler. In 1961 the cars were replaced by new ones based on the BR MkI, and were transferred to the Southern Region for use on the Golden Arrow (car 74) and the Bournemouth Belle. In 1962, cars 73 and 74 were transferred to the Western Region as part of a loco-hauled maintenance cover train for the diesel multiple unit Blue Pullman. They were withdrawn in November 1963. Cars 75 and 76 were withdrawn in July 1967, and both were preserved.
