A Railway World Records

The provision of a special locomotive tender fitted with a corridor attachment enabling drivers and firemen to be changed while the train is running has made it possible for the London and North-Eastern Railway to arrange that from May 1 the “Flying Scotsman” will run without a stop from London to Edinburgh, while a corresponding service will be provided in the reverse direction (says the London “Observer” of 15th April”). It is not generally realised that while this performance represents the longest regular daily non-stop run that has ever been attempted by any railway in the world—the distance is 392 miles—very few runs of anything like four hundred miles without a halt have ever been recorded, even in exceptional circumstances. Even in the case of the second “Race” to Scotland, although record timings were set up for the journey from London to Aberdeen, it was necessary to change engines three or four times en route.

The corridor tender, of which ten are being built for the service, is one of the most ingenious things ever done in locomotive practice, and it is specially notable for its simplicity. A covered gangway traverses the whole of the right-hand side and has a metal door at the end. By opening the door it is possible to walk straight on to the footplate from any standard type of corridor vehicle, and in fact no special coaches are being built for the non-stop service. The driver and firemen will be relieved after the train has run about two hundred miles, which means that for half the journey they will be able to travel as passengers.

British Railway Prosperity.

The gradual return to prosperity in this country during 1927 is reflected in a preliminary statement dealing with the railways in Great Britain for last year, which was issued recently. The net receipts for the year totalled £49,400,000, compared with £43,747,276 for 1926, which included £11,782,305 drawn from the reserves to meet the losses caused by the coal dispute. The average rate of interest and dividend paid in 1926 was 3.63 per cent., with a deficiency of £890,583, while 4 per cent. was paid in 1927, with a favourable balance of £100,000. The ordinary tickets issued during the past two years were:—

The season tickets for the same periods were:—

The goods and mineral traffic carried during 1927 weighed 325,408,000 tons, against 215,597,027 tons in 1926, while the respective totals of live stock carried were 19,432,000 and 18,157,952.