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Andy Arthur💃🏰⚓🦌 Threadinburgh 🧵
@threadinburgh.scot

In the good/bad old days of British Rail's orange plastic Traveller's Fare branding, Waverley had the Talisman Buffet and the bar was called the Nor' Loch. I imagine they were probably actually more civilised than modern offerings. www.flickr.com/photos/18578...

flickr.comEdinburgh Waverley station, 17 Feb 1981The Talisman buffet with its violent orange decor contrasts with the handsome stonework of the late Victorian two-storey buildings in the main waiting area. The plastic orange seating roundel complete...
Andy Arthur💃🏰⚓🦌 Threadinburgh 🧵@threadinburgh.scot

Waverley's station pub on the other hand is just embarrassing

Andy Arthur💃🏰⚓🦌 Threadinburgh 🧵
@threadinburgh.scot

As always @mikeyashworth.bsky.social has the goods if you want to know what was on offer from Travellers Fare. Think I'll start with a 13p fruit juice, have a 51p Bacon Egg and Sausage with a side of cream potatoes and mixed salad (34p) and finish off with 3p of cream: www.flickr.com/photos/36844...

flickr.comTravellers-Fare tariff : price list : British Rail : nd [c.1975] : tariffA shiny British Rail "Travellers-Fare" menu card that likely dates from the mid-1970; the only evidence comes from the one item that definately was not to be available on the menu and that was the BR ...
Andy Arthur💃🏰⚓🦌 Threadinburgh 🧵
@threadinburgh.scot

The 1981 music video for "All About You" by the Scars was filmed partly in Waverley Station, in all its orange plastic glory. I do have to correct myself though, it was called the Talisman Bar at that time - it was Nor'Loch later on.

1 repost17 likes

Andy Arthur💃🏰⚓🦌 Threadinburgh 🧵
@threadinburgh.scot

It should be easy to find pictures of the inside of Waverley Station in the 1980s, but it's not because everyone with a camera was pointing it at a train or something. But if you can look past the Deltic "Alycidon" here we can see the welcoming orange plastic canopy of the Talisman Buffet.

Andy Arthur💃🏰⚓🦌 Threadinburgh 🧵
@threadinburgh.scot

The Talisman finally got its licence in the October. In 1986 another bar - "Deja Vu" - was opened next door as part of an "Upper Crust" food court (yes, Upper Crust started out as an arm of British Rail Catering). It was literally aimed at a higher social demographic than the Talisman adjacent

Andy Arthur💃🏰⚓🦌 Threadinburgh 🧵
@threadinburgh.scot

"Deja Vu" was the latest effort from British Rail in trying to appeal to a more sophisticated sector of the travelling public beyond football hooligans. Queen Street got "Berlin" and Central got "Tropics". All were in a European Brasserie style. They still served Tennents and McEwans though