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Now,this being a Railway Forum, we do discuss mainly trains and train operations plus a variety of other railway things, which is good and enjoyable, that is what makes this Forum such a good place to be.

However, there is a railway subject which very rarely gets talked about, and yet in the heyday of British Railways, its operation was basically as important as the running of trains.

That subject being the Road Vehicles of "BR" and previous to that the four companys that made up the railways of Gt Britain.

I am sure that if a retired railwayman who never worked on the trains or stations but worked on the road "cartage", joined this forum, he would be most welcome.

Take for instance the LMS EXPRESS PARCEL TRAFFIC.
The Major Player in the road transport for a start was without a doubt the Midland Railway and their vehicles, all of which accounted for over half of the stock taken over by the LMS in the grouping years of 1923.

We should not forget also, that the railway companys, especially the LMS and the GWR actually owned their own buses.
But Railway Road Cartage was a very busy job and one which a lot of people made a career out of, the same as the people on the trains and stations.

A typical LMS goods depot in the 1950s, was a non stop hive of activity 24 hours a day seven days a week and the types of lorries used was a huge variety.
Normal Parcel deliveries, House Removals, Heavy Haulage, etc etc, the list goes on, they, like the other companys moved everything and anything by road.

So the railway did not just revolve around trains and stations, but also the Road fleets, which never got a lot of recognition even in their day. They just got on with the job, in the background and it was amazing how well it worked.


Finally dont lets forget the RO- RAIL bus, an LMS Karrier design and was first tested on the rails on the "Stratford & Midland Joint Line".
Sadly it did not have a long life, it fractured an axle and was withdrawn in July 1932.

All good stuff, and still all Railway.


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