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The only accommodation provided as a carriage was a simple square wood deep-sided box wagon, with a door in
the centre. Passengers had to stand, jammed together like summary cattle. The guard travelled in this box, with the brake fixed in one corner. Afterwards an Act of Parliament compelled railway
companies to run certain trains each day, at Id. per mile. These were called "Parliamentary" trains, and left Manchester for Leeds at 7 a.m., 1-10 and 6-30 p.m. and Leeds to Manchester at
7-40 a.m., 1-20 and 5-45 p.m. The guard's van was attached in the rear In those days the permanent-way iron rails were pegged on to huge blocks of stone, 3 ft. to 4 in. square. Imagine the noise
and oscillation when trains passed over them.
The first improvement made for this class of passengers was by fixing plain wooden seats in the box wagon to sit upon. Sometime after this a top
was put on the wagon, but the sides were still left open. Again, after a while the open sides were made up with wooden slides for windows, and the woodwork was painted dark brown, which made it look
something like a carriage. The public gave them the name of "Daw Green Reds." These were soon superseded by an entirely new make of carriage, consisting of four seated compartments, fitted
up with glass windows and roof lights in the carriage top ; and eventually they had further concessions given to them ; in the winter months they had hot-water tins supplied in the compartments, and
additional third-class trains were run daily for their convenience. The Company had discovered that third-class travelling was remunerative, and with the view of cultivating this traffic they
provided still more comfortable accommodation by upholstering the backs and seats of each compartment, and booked third class by all trains. They then built third-class saloon carriages,
beautifully fitted up with settees and tables. Some of the railway companies even went so far as to build third-class dining cars, most elaborately fitted with all necessary conveniences.
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