katyjay 5,090 Posted November 24, 2009 Report Share Posted November 24, 2009 Today I received my copy of the latest Nottinghamshire Family History Society journal. They often put little snippets of newspaper articles from the past. Thought the train buffs would find it interesting. Steam Travelling Extraordinary. Extract from The Guardian, Saturday, August 29th, 1840 LEICESTER, MONDAY - About half past twelve o'clock this day, a train, the longest perhaps ever known, came along the Midland Counties Railway from Nottingham. It had four engines to drag it forward, and to the beholder appeared like a moving street, the houses of which were filled with human beings. The occasion of this extraordinary sight was a return visit made by the committee and friends of the Nottingham Mechanics' Exhibition of this town. The number of carriages was sixty seven, and the quantity of passengers nearly three thousand - most of whom were well and respectably attired. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted November 24, 2009 Report Share Posted November 24, 2009 Who were the others? Nudists! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bip 88 Posted November 24, 2009 Report Share Posted November 24, 2009 Makes my written english sound perfect, may have to use some of those words in my blogs will no doubt make the old folk on here feel as if they are back in the 1840s once more where they belong. Bip. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 859 Posted November 24, 2009 Report Share Posted November 24, 2009 ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rob237 89 Posted November 24, 2009 Report Share Posted November 24, 2009 Kath, Within a year of Thomas Cook creating the world's first travel agency, based in Loughborough. Wonder if he was encouraged by the excursion you describe? "1841 Thomas Cook organises his first excursion, a rail journey from Leicester to a temperance meeting in Loughborough. On Monday 5 July a special train carries some 500 passengers a distance of 12 miles and back for one shilling" http://www.thomascook.com/about-us/thomas-cook-history/ Cheers Bockscar... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scriv 168 Posted November 24, 2009 Report Share Posted November 24, 2009 Scariest thing about that.... 3,000 passengers in 67 "coaches" which in reality would mostly be 4-wheeled, unbraked open wagons.... that averages out at over 40 people per truck! Wonder what today's Elf 'n' Safety would have made of that? !rulez! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 859 Posted November 25, 2009 Report Share Posted November 25, 2009 It must have been a pretty miserable experience. I've travelled on the Rocket replica and it's open 'carriages' a few times and apart from being crammed in and uncomfortable, when it rains you get extremely wet, but at least that stops your clothes and hair catching fire from the constant stream of burning smuts from the locomotive. It's good fun for a short distance, but I can't imagine what it must have been like travelling a long way in the winter back in the 19th century. The engine crews in those days fared no better, the loco designers didn't give them proper cabs until later in the century and most of those were pretty basic, they knew how to deliberately keep the working man in his place in those days. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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