Pullman train (UK)

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Former Brighton Belle Pullman carriage at London Victoria, now part of the Venice Simplon Orient Express fleet

Pullman trains in Great Britain were noted for their luxurious carriages.

The British Pullman Car Company has its own workshops at Brighton. The company entered into contracts with the railway companies to operate Pullman services over their lines. These agreements were continued by British Railways upon nationalisation in 1948, whilst the Pullman company remained privately owned. During World War II all Pullman services were suspended. They were restarted shortly thereafter.

By the late 1950s the image of Pullman trains remained luxurious but increasingly outdated; the diesel-powered Blue Pullman trains were built to operate the "Midland Pullman" and "Western Pullman" services from London to Manchester and Bristol respectively. These were joined in 1960-61 by new Pullman carriages built by Metro-Cammell for the East Coast Main Line Pullman services.

Despite new rolling stock the Pullman company was experiencing difficulties. As a private company, its operations became an anomaly on the state-owned railway system. The National Union of Railwaymen urged its nationalisation, which was duly done in 1962. The company was thus taken over by British Rail, but Pullman trains continued to be operated.

The introduction of InterCity 125 services resulted in the demise of the remaining Pullman services, with the exception of the Manchester Pullman. The Yorkshire Pullman and Hull Pullman were the last East Coast Main Line Pullmans and were withdrawn in 1978. The Manchester Pullman continued until the privatisation of the West Coast Main Line in the 1990s.

The Venice Simplon Orient Express train aims to recreate they heyday of Pullman travel prior to World War II.