When Eltham did it first ..... travelling in a double-decker train

I say Eltham but strictly speaking it was the Southern Region of British Railways who came up with the idea of the double-decker train to alleviate the overcrowding during the rush hour on the Bexleyheath line into London.

Goodbye, 1971, Well Hall Railway Station

The service ran from 1949 to 1971 and was received with a mixed response.

I loved them making them my preferred train from Well Hall up to Charing Cross during the 1960s.

But some found the seats uncomfortable, ventilation of the upper deck was bad and worst of all the loading and offloading of passengers was slow. *

And I grant you having travelled on double decker trains into Milan which were quite swish, our version was a bit clunky.  

That said the appearance of our trains with their curved upper windows marked them out as very different.

I have never quite forgotten them although they have slid back in my memory along with those summer concerts at the Pleasusance, the Burton’s on the corner of the High Street and the pubs which were the haunt of my growing up.

But when the Today Programme on BBC radio ran the story that Eurostar had ordered some double deck trains, I was instantly back with the 8.30 from Well Hall nonstop to Waterloo.  The piece included references to our unique trains and rather dismissed them as having been a short experiment and raising again the issues of uncomfortable seats and poor ventilation.

Now that was a bit unfair given that they ran for twenty-two years which is quite long in the history of public transport vehicles.

And that is almost that, although there is delightful account of the design and history of the Bexleyheath double decker’s in Gus White’s book, The Bexleyheath Railway at Eltham, 1895-1995, published by the Eltham Society.

And an equally interesting article from BBC News which carries a Pathe News clip of the trains from 1949.**

So a win for all. And yes there were other double decker trains around the world, and yes I would welcome more pictures and memories from anyone who like me let the "train take the strain" between 1949 and 1971.

Location, Well Hall, 1949-1971

Picture; the double-decker on its last run at Well Hall, October 1971 from the Kentish Times and reproduced in The Bexleyheath Railway at Eltham, 1895-1995

*Gus White, The Bexleyheath Railway at Eltham, 1895-1995, The Eltham Society

**Eurostar orders first double-decker trains, Katy Austin, BB News, October 22nd 2025, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz6n1w80z1zo