Hook Continental

The Hook Continental was a passenger train running between London's Liverpool Street Station and Harwich Parkeston Quay where it connected with the night ferry sailing to the Hook of Holland in the Netherlands. It was introduced as a named express by the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) in 1927, and was part of the marketing strategy pushing the concept of almost seamless travel from London overnight to numerous European destinations utilising the company's own ships and the rail connections from the Hook of Holland.

Early ferry services

The promotion of Harwich as a good railhead for ferry services across the North Sea dates back to the Eastern Counties Railway and from 1869 the Great Eastern Railway (GER) advertised using its services from Liverpool Street to Harwich in conjunction with a ferry service as "The shortest, cheapest, and most direct route" to a selection of northern European countries, and offered through tickets. A new station adjacent to a deep water quay was opened in 1883 and was named Parkestone Quay after the Chairman Charles Henry Parkes, and Hook of Holland became one of the main destinations of ferry services from 1893.

GER and LNER

In 1905 the GER produced its first corridor train set of 13 coaches specifically for the service to Harwich, and this was also the first GER train to be steam heated throughout with Claud Hamilton 4-4-0 steam locomotives providing the motive power.

In 1925 a set of 20 coaches was built at Stratford Works for the Hook Continental, the new train set of eleven bogie coaches having four second class coaches, three first class coaches, three restaurant coaches plus a full brake. In addition two Pullmans were also allocated to the service although only one of the two was used on some occasions. Driving the locomotive that hauled the Hook Continental with this set of coaches was considered a very difficult turn due to the weight of the train and the climbs to Bethnal Green and Brentwood, with speed restrictions through both Chelmsford and Colchester, followed by the severe restriction over the junction at Manningtree. The tare weight was 430 tons with a gross of up to 455 and it constituted the 'top link' at Parkeston shed where four engine crews were responsible for this duty. The B12 / "1500" class 4-6-0s were used exclusively and the train was allowed 82 minutes for the 68.9 miles for the down journey.