Southern Named Trains
"Golden Arrow"
| The origins of the "Golden Arrow" go back to
1882 when the LC&DR launched their "Dover Continental Pullman Car Boat
Express" between Victoria and Dover, using a borrowed LB&SCR first
class Pullman car. The train didn't do very well, though, and the Pullman
car was returned to the LB&SCR a couple of years later. From 1910 the
SE&CR included Pullman cars in their boat trains, though without any
particular name being applied. Pullman travel, however, was now firmly
established as the only way to travel for those who could afford it and shortly
after the formation of the Southern Railway an all-Pullman relief to the
11:00 am boat train was run at 10:45am, with a corresponding train running in
the opposite direction. From the summer of 1929 this train gained its
prestigious name of "Golden Arrow"
Passengers would travel by ferry from Dover or Folkestone to Calais where they boarded a similarly prestigious French train formed from Compagnie Internationale des Wagon Lits coaches under the French name Flêche d' Or. |
| Probably one of the most famous trains of all time, the
"Golden Arrow" waits for departure time at Victoria station in the
charge of Bulleid Merchant Navy class pacific
35027 Port Line carrying the experimental blue livery that was applied
to Class 8 locomotives in the early British Railways days.
photograph: Roy Vandersteen collection |
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| Not only did the passengers enjoy first class travel on
the railway, they also had the pleasure of a first class only ferry, the
Canterbury, that was built by the SR expressly for this purpose. The
"Golden Arrow" left Victoria at 11:00 am, arriving Dover at 12:30 pm
after which the Canterbury sailed at 12:55 pm, berthing in Calais at
2:10 pm. Customs and Passport controls were handled on board ship so that the
final stretch of the journey, on the Flêche d' Or, was able to
start at 2:25 pm, arriving at the Gare du Nord at 5:35 pm.
In the reverse direction passengers left the Gare du Nord at 12:00 noon, arrived at Calais at 3:10 pm, sailed at 3:25 pm, arriving at Dover at 4:40 pm. Customs and Passport controls were at the dock in this direction, but even so the train was booked to leave Dover just 17 minutes later for a more leisurely journey to Victoria, arriving at 6:35 pm. |
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Left and below:
Merchant Navy class 21C1 Channel Packet is ready to work the Press Run for the inauguration of the post war "Golden Arrow" on 13th April 1946. photographs: Graham Muspratt collection |
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|
| The early "Golden Arrow" was frequently made
up of ten first class cars, together with a brake and flat wagon carrying
luggage in containers. The inclusive fare from Victoria through to Gare du Nord
was £5 0s 0d.
In the early 1930s air travel was beginning to make its mark and in 1931 second class accommodation was included in the formation on both sides of the Channel, at the expense of the first class, with the passengers now having to share the Canterbury with ordinary passengers who travelled in ordinary corridor stock on an earlier train from Victoria or a later one from Paris. Shortly before the outbreak of WWII the "Golden Arrow" fell on hard times with the Pullman consist down to four cars and ordinary corridor stock making up the remainder of the train. |
| 21C1 storming out of Victoria station with the Press Run for the
inauguration of the post war "Golden Arrow" on 13th April 1946.
photograph: Graham Muspratt collection |
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| After the end of the war the "Golden Arrow" returned on 15th April 1946 (following a Press Run on the 13th) and continued to work Dover-Calais until the end of the 1952 summer timetable. |
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A closer view of the one of the Arrows (this one on 21C1) that
were fixed to the side casing of the "Golden Arrow" locomotives.
photograph: Graham Muspratt collection |
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A matching pair of Southern Railway advertisements for the
"Golden Arrow" service, one in French and the other in English.
Reproduced by kind permission of Southern Posters - classic railway art. |
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All photographs are copyright
ACE | Bournemouth Belle | Devon Belle | Golden Arrow 2 | Man of Kent | Night Ferry | Royal Wessex | Southern/Brighton Belle | Thanet/Kentish Belle | Boat Train Specials
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This page was last updated 13 June 2007
