RailFan500CA, re post #1586 - GWR and LNER passenger coaches certainly did find themselves in the same train, in the form of "the Ports to Ports Express" which ran between Newcastle in NE England to Barry via Cardiff in S Wales. The routing was via York on the North Eastern Railway, Sheffield Victoria on the Great Central Railway then Banbury and Cheltenham on the Great Western Railway. Along the way south it acquired through coaches from Hull. The GCR originated the train around 1906, with stock on the core service alternating daily between GCR and GWR coaches. It was the mid-1920s before LNER coaches began to supersede the original GCR coaches. On the way north the CGR/GWR coaches were joined at York by Midland Railway coaches from Bristol and several NER coaches (which until the 1930s were non-corridor types!). So at York on alternating days you would see NER, GCR/GWR and MR coaches in the same train. Post-1923 this would be LNER, GWR and LMSR coaches in the same train. There was also a train from Southampton to Newcastle via York and Edinburgh which would bring GWR coaches north on alternate days, to be incorporated in to a NER/LNER service to Glasgow at York. On the ports to ports the GCR, and later the LNER considered the train as a real express with quality rolling stock. The GWR considered it as a secondary train, which was reflected in the coaches it provided ( Clerestory roof stock until the late 1930s ), the locos that hauled it and the route it was assigned. This must not have gone un-noticed among regular travellers on the route. The "wonders of the world" website reported that the GWR provided a 3-course lunch for a "half crown" (2 shillings and 6 pence in traditional UK currency - 25p in modern day UK decimal currency) with the LNER providing a 5 course lunch for 3 shillings and 6 pence (35p).
