In 1935, fifteen year old Bert Hollick signed on at Brighton Station for his first shift on a Pullman Train. Working on the midnight shift from Victoria to Brighton including the famous Brighton Belle, he learned to ladle soup from a tureen at seventy-five miles per hour and serve a three-course lunch in a speedy fifty-eight minutes. Bert’s life story is told in a style that conveys wonderfully the atmosphere of the Pullman Cars, as well as providing interesting factual details of railway life.
Bert worked at a time when a twelve to fourteen hour day was commonplace, and wages were a meagre £2 a week, despite providing a luxury service to everyday travellers. This book is fascinating personal history of a time long past, and will also have an appeal to historic train and railway enthusiasts.
Pullman Attendant is the perfect companion piece to Pullman Craftsmen, which will be available for download soon.
Editorial team: Al Deakin, Mike Hayler, Nick Osmond, Darren Tabone, Tom Woodin
This book is currently out of print, but you can download a PDF of the original text of Pullman Attendant by clicking here.
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