“The Statesman” Boat Train

“The Statesman” Boat Train

London Waterloo – Southampton Docks (Ocean Terminal)

Since the days of the Southern Railway before the Second World War, special trains called “Ocean Liner Specials” were operated to carry the passengers from the ocean liners that docked at the railway's Southampton Docks to London Waterloo. By 1952 British Railways had decided to give the more prominent boat trains to Southampton Docks special names, such as the Cunarder, the Statesman, the Union Castle Express, the Holland American, and the South American etc. However there were also a lot of boat trains without special names as well.

Photo: “The Statesman” all Pullman boat train, hauled by SR Bullied “West Country” class steam locomotive 34007 Wadebridge, stands at the Southampton’s Ocean Terminal waiting to convey the passengers from the S/S United States ocean liner to London.

One of the more famous boat trains from London Waterloo to Southampton Docks (Ocean Terminal) at this time was “The Statesman” which was a special Pullman Boat Train to connect with the SS United States ocean liner for the United States Lines transatlantic service to New York, USA. This boat train continued to operate until the retirement of the SS United States in the late 1960s and the demise of the ocean liners.