Looking for info on "Penny Specials"

[dlevine99]

A friend of mine sent this request for information.

... asking for anyone with information about "Penny Specials".
...
I must confess I have not heard of them but from context it sounds British.

'any one with a good grasp of railroad history

Im looking for info about the "penny specials" a daily train mandated by parlment that were a ticket was a penny a mile. (I think every railroad had to have one)

Any one with info

Sounds interesting. Can anyone help us out?

 

[cascaderailroad]

Penny

Not really sure, but @ 1901 you could go from Hollidaysburg to Juniata by trolley for 55 cents...and up to Wopsononock by steam train for an additonal 25 cents.

 

[johnwhelan]

In the UK the railways were built by act of Parliament, Parliament in its wisdom decided that there should be third class that only charged one penny per mile other classes were more expensive.

London had special workmen's trains that charged a penny or perhaps two pence to bring workmen into the city early in the morning around 1840 a distance of often 12 miles. Normally they ran and arrived before eight o'clock. The problem for the city was they needed the poor to do the less well paid jobs but there was nowhere to house them in the city, again I think by act of parliament. Trouble was there were often more passengers than stock so pressure had to be brought to run additonal trains. Because many shops etc didn't open until 9 or 9:30 the last train was always full and if you missed it then the next train cost 4.5 pence.

Cheerio John

 

[BLACKWATCH]

There is something about it in the regulations here .....................para. #27
http://www.donvalleyrailway.org/localhistory/railwayact.php

 

[knil2gni]

"Penny Specials"

My search engine revealed a whole host of descriptions to which the term or phrase "Penny Specials" would apply. From open air displays, gimmickry projects and artifacts, to names of public houses etc.. etc..
However, the term appears to have no particular railway significance.

 

[whistlehead]

I know that here in the UK the GWR famously advertised their 'penny a mile' train fares, but that's probably nothing to do with it.

 

[johnwhelan]

My search engine revealed a whole host of descriptions to which the term or phrase "Penny Specials" would apply. From open air displays, gimmickry projects and artifacts, to names of public houses etc.. etc..
However, the term appears to have no particular railway significance.

Sorry I'm lost. When railways were built in the UK each one had to go through Parliament and have a special act of Parliament or law passed approving it. This Act specified that the company had to provide carriage for passengers at the special rate of one penny per mile.

The context was British why do you think there is no particular railway significance?

Cheerio John

 

[Captain_Collins]

I know that here in the UK the GWR famously advertised their 'penny a mile' train fares, but that's probably nothing to do with it.

The GWR probably decided to twist the Penny A Mile bill to make it look like they were the first/only company to run penny a mile trains. Advertising impacting even back then.

 

[ColPrice2002]

This Act specified that the company had to provide carriage for passengers at the special rate of one penny per mile.

And if you look at the Mikado (Gilbert & Sullivan) - there's the couplet:-

"the idiot who, in railway carruages scribbles on window panes
we only suffer to ride on a buffer in Parliamentary trains" ...

Nanki-poo - Lord High Executioner - the "I've got a little list" patter song

Colin

 

[mad_railman91]

I beileve I have an answer

Usually "Penny Special" would be the same as A workers special, However, there are cases I've heard about that shortly after the Transcontinental Railroad was completed, some railroad companies decided to "Cash in" and expected hundreds of thousands of people to head west with the advertising they had back east around Ellis Island. Since the Imigrants didn't have much money the railroads offered them a deal "you go west and settle on land by the railroad tracks and farm, we will take the grain and other products you make east and we will help you get there by giving you a ride a penny a seat." and the advertising worked so there were many trains headed out west with the passengers having the hope of a better life than in the country they left.

Hope this helps:wave:

Nick