The Brighton Belle was an incredible service and there was nothing like it anywhere else - an entire Pullman train with white jacketed waiters. There were one hundred and fifty third class seats and forty first class and there were many regulars like Lord Olivier. You had to have a leisurely start to your day in London to commute, however as the earliest train from Brighton left at 9.40am. There was a last train from Victoria at 11.00 pm arriving in Brighton at midnight, which was very useful for actors and theatre goers getting home after the curtain fell in the West End. By 1972 the carriages (built in 1933) were getting a very shakey on their wheels and tended to rock and roll along the line (hold on to your kippers!) which is why British Rail ended the service on 30th April - the cost of replacing the rolling stock was too high. Fortunately the rolling stock found retirement homes on preserved lines and two of the Pullman coaches, all of which had female names, Vera and Audrey, have been superbly restored and now form part the Orient Express.

Ref the Brighton Belle Carriages having female names: This only applied to the first class rolling stock, all second class carriages were given numbers eg Car No 97 etc. Also there was the Bournemouth Belle which ran out of Waterloo which was also an all Pullman Train.

I recall catching the Brighton Belle after a theatre trip to London with my family in early 70's. Must have been shortly before it was axed. We had bacon and eggs (I think) and I remember the proper waiter service and the coffee slopping from the cups onto the tablecloth as the motion was so rackety!