Open gangway

A corridor connection (or gangway connection) is a flexible connector fitted to the end of a railway coach to enable passage from one coach to another without falling out of the train.

The London and North Western Railway (LNWR) was the first British railway to provide passengers with the means to move from one coach to another whilst the train was in motion. In 1869 the LNWR built a pair of saloons for the use of Queen Victoria; these had six-wheel underframes (the bogie coach did not appear in Britain until 1874), and the gangway was fitted to only one end of each coach. The Queen preferred to wait until the train had stopped before using the gangway.

In 1887, George M. Pullman introduced his patented vestibule cars. Older railroad cars had open platforms at their ends, which were used both for joining and leaving the train, but could also be used to step from one car to the next. This practice was dangerous, and so Pullman decided to enclose the platform to produce the vestibule. For passing between cars, there was a passageway in the form of a steel-framed rectangular diaphragm mounted on a buffing plate above the centre coupler. The vestibule prevented passengers from falling out, and protected passengers from the weather when passing between cars. In the event of an accident, the design also helped prevent cars from overriding each other, reducing the risk of telescoping. Pullman's vestibule cars were first used in 1887. Among the first to use them was the Pennsylvania Railroad on the Pennsylvania Limited service to Chicago.

The Great Northern Railway introduced the Gould-design gangway connection to Great Britain in 1889, when E.F. Howlden was Carriage and Wagon Superintendent.

On 7 March 1892, the Great Western Railway (GWR) introduced a set of coaches on their Paddington to Birkenhead service. It was the first British side-corridor train where a corridor connection was provided between all the coaches, and was to the design of William Dean. The purpose was not to enable passengers to move around the train, but to allow the guard to reach any compartment quickly. Electric bells were provided so that he could be summoned. When the guard was not so required, he kept the communicating doors locked. Passengers could still use the corridor within the coach to reach the toilet. The gangway connections of the early GWR corridor coaches were offset to one side. Some coaches intended for use at the ends of trains had the gangway connection fitted at only one end. The GWR introduced restaurant cars in 1896; corridor connections were fitted, but passengers wishing to use the restaurant car were expected to board it at the start of their journey, and remain there: the gangway connections were still not for public use.

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