Travel back to 1967

I've been loaned a copy of the ABC Rail Guide dated June 1967.  Probably not everyone's idea of a good read, but interesting nonetheless.

Before we get into the train services of the time, let's 'set the scene'...  In 1967 Britain had a Labour Government with Harold Wilson as Prime Minister.  The average salary that year was around £1,380 and inflation was 2.5%.  The average UK house price was £4,000 and a basic Auston Mini (the Mk2 version was launched in 1967) cost £509.

On 1 June the Beatles released Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and that month the no.1 slot in the charts alternated between Aretha Franklin's Respect and Groovin' by the Young Rascals.

The New Town designation order that resulted in the purchase of 22,000 acres of farmland for what was to become Milton Keynes was passed in January 1967, but that name was then still only associated with a village to the north of Bletchley.  

In June 1967 Bletchley railway station offered passenger services to Cambridge and Oxford as well as London and the north.  The 0714 from Bletchley would get a traveller to Cambridge for 0841. 

The station had been rebuilt in by 1964 with the steam shed that stood on what is now the site of the car park closing the following year, 1965.

So what was the service like to and from Euston in June 1967?   In some respects, not much different to today.   Looking at southbound trains for a fairly typical (now) 0700-0730 and 1740-1810 commute:

Northampton	-	-	0701
Wolverton	-	-	0715
Bletchley arr	-	-	0723
Bletchley dep	0704	0715	0724
Leighton Buzzard	0712	0723	0732
Cheddington	0717	-	-
Tring	0723	0733	-
Berkhamsted	0728	0738	-
Hemel Hempstead	0733	-	0749
Apsley	0736	0745
King's Langley	0740	0749	-
Watford Junction arr	0745	-	-
Watford Junction dep	0746	-	0758
Harrow & Wealdstone	0753	-	0805
Euston	0808	0815	0822
Euston	1742	1755	1805
Harrow & Wealdstone	-	1809	-
Watford Junction arr	1805	-	1825
Watford Junction dep	1806	-	1826
King's Langley	-	1820	-
Apsley	1813	-	-
Henel Hempstead	1816	1825	1834
Berkhamsted	1822	1830	-
Tring	1827	1836	-
Cheddington	-	1841	-
Leighton Buzzard	1838	-	1852
Bletchley arr	1846	1854	1900
Bletchley dep	1847	-	1901
Wolverton	1854	-	1908
Northampton	1908	-	1922

The services are slower (each journey looks to be around ten minutes longer than the equivalent today), but every train calls at Bletchley so there was far more choice than there is today (there are seven trains each way between Bletchley and Euston 0700-0800 and 1700-1800).

In addition to the local services, Bletchley was also a stopping point for express trains coming down from and going up to the north.  There were no such southbound calls during the morning 'rush hour' but someone able to travel during the day could enjoy:

• From Blackpool - Bletchley 1119 Euston 1200
• From Barrow - Bletchley 1304 Euston 1343
• From Carlisle - Bletchley 1319 Euston 1400
• From Blackpool - Bletchley 1519 Euston 1600

There were similar trains southbound in the evening and the equivalent services northbound throughout the day.

The standard one-way fares for the journey were First Class 19/3 (£0.97) or Second Class 12/9 (£0.64).   The return fare would have been double the single.  

The biggest surprise of all in the timetable is the listing of an overnight sleeper services calling at Bletchley:

• From Euston (2125) and Bletchley (2215) to Larbert (0540), Stirling (0550), Gleneagles (0622) and Perth (0640)
• From Stranaer Harbour (2210) and Dumfries (0110) to Bletchley (0649) and Euston (0742)
• From Liverpool Lime Street (0030) to Bletchley (0400) and Euston (0457)

For these services the supplement (on top of the normal fare) was First Class with single berth 45/- (£2.25) or Second Class with double berth 30/- (£1.50).

Finally, the ABC Rail Guide rather quaintly lists the following information for Bletchley:

- 46 3/4 miles from London
- Population 22,110
- Early closing Wednesdays
- Refreshment Room

(The refreshment room stood on what is now platforms 2-3 and was still in operation, serving alcoholic drinks as well as tea, sandwiches and cakes in the late 1980s).

For anyone like me who is interested in the local history of this area and/or the railway I can recommend one website and one book:

• Where the lines meet (the Railway History of Bletchley)
• Bletchley to Rugby: including Newport Pagnell & Northampton by Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith (available from Amazon)