Master Cutler

The Master Cutler is a British named express passenger train operated by East Midlands Railway between Sheffield and London St Pancras. It has a somewhat complicated history, with the route and composition changing several times. History In 1947 at a meeting of the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire Ronald Matthews, a former holder of the office of Master Cutler and Chairman of the London and North Eastern Railway suggested that the 7.40 train from Sheffield Victoria to London Marylebone, returning at 18.15, should be named The Master Cutler. This was agreed by both the Company of Cutlers and the LNER. The then Master Cutler, A Balfour, later the 2nd Lord Riverdale, rode on the footplate of the inaugural train. It has since been a tradition that the Master Cutler ride with the driver of the train during their year of office. The Master Cutler was introduced by the LNER on 6 October 1947, running on the Great Central Main Line route from Sheffield Victoria to London Marylebone calling at and . Upon nationalisation the following year, the service became the responsibility of the Eastern Region of British Railways. Known to staff simply as "The Cutler", the train carried a restaurant car and was generally hauled by a Gresley A3 Pacific. In 1958, passenger services on the former Great Central route were beginning to be run down, and on 15 September of that year the title of the train switched to a new Class 40 diesel hauled service from Sheffield Victoria to calling at Retford only via East Coast Main Line. On 28 September 1960, Pullman carriage stock was introduced. However, in early 1966 British Railways decided to concentrate Sheffield traffic on the Midland Main Line route to (and Leeds traffic on King's Cross), so the Pullman coaches were withdrawn on 4th October 1968. (BR working timetable Section A May 68 to May 69 Supplement dated October 1968).