A lost burger bar chain that opened in busy train stations called Manchester home back in the 1980s.
To many, the name Casey Jones will stir memories of the classic 1950s American TV show. But around 40 years ago, the name was known in the UK for something entirely different.
In the 1980s, British Rail's fast food outlets called Casey Jones Burgers started to pop up in train stations across the country, from London Euston, Waterloo and Kings Cross to Glasgow, Liverpool Lime Street Station and Manchester Piccadilly. Operated by Travellers Fare, who provided catering services on the British Rail network, the fast-food chain, known for its signature burgers, fries and drinks, is now largely forgotten.
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At a time when Wimpy burgers were well-known on the high street and McDonald's was starting to become popular on this side of the pond, the Casey Jones burger bar was becoming a known fixture for train commuters. In Manchester Piccadilly, images, courtesy of Manchester Archives and Local History Library, show the brand inside the station as early as 1986, with the red, white and yellow being spotted near WH Smith.
Ahead of the Liverpool Lime Street Casey Jones opening in 1984, an ad in the Liverpool ECHO said the company offered a comprehensive training programme, meals on duty and free uniform, as well as free and reduced travel on British rail and London underground and £1.87 per hour. We can assume this may have been similar for those who worked within the Manchester Piccadilly branch.
Today, train stations have numerous fast food or well-known brand outlets, from McDonalds and Starbucks to Upper Crust and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts - it's not unusual to see passengers eating or drinking on their journeys.
But in the late 1970s and 1980s, new food outlets started to pop up more at train stations, much to some people's displeasure. In April 1983, the Daily Mirror reported how trains could have a "no eating" compartment if a "new campaign by regular travellers gets it way."
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It reads: "The new Casey Jones burger bars now each sell an average 1,500 takeaway burgers and 800 portions of chips to travellers every day. But the growing trend is infuriating diehard rail users who are fed up with the smell of half-eaten burgers wafting through carriages."
At the time, Colin Webb, a book publisher who commuted to London each day from Kenley in Surrey, said: "As elbow to elbow, they tuck into their greasy Casey Jones’ specials, the stultifying odour of onions, French fires and other noxious edibles manage to overpower even the strongest pipe tobacco."
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Diners and commuters could enjoy a number of Casey Jones burgers in its time. In 1993, the Sunday Mirror tested out five burger competitors to see "how they are trying to keep customers’ taste buds tingling" - including Casey Jones.
It reported the prices of burgers and drinks at the King Cross station train in London, which we can assume were similar to that of Manchester with the business being a chain. In June 1993, customers at that station could get a basic burger, the Great Casey, for £1.80, a Great Casey with cheese for £1.99, or a Mighty Casey for £2.95.
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A regular Coke was 85p, with a large being 95p and you could also order a regular side of fries for 95p or a large for £1.09. The review said: "You can taste the bun, cheese and flavour - enhanced tomato sauce - which may be just as well because the meat left something to be desired."
By the late 1980s, Casey Jones burgers became part of Compass Catering. But in the early 1990s, customers saw the brand begin to disappear from train stations across the country entirely.
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In November 1993, it was widely reported how Burger King restaurants were to appear in 17 British Rail stations following a catering deal between Compass and Grand Metropolitan . At the time, Compass supplied refreshments on stations through its Casey Jones fast-food restaurants, but the deal resulted in Burger King - owned by Grand Met - replacing the Casey Jones brand.
The brand to one generation is now nothing other than a distant memory. But it is also remembered by many for being the first fast-food place they ate at, or a reminder of fond childhood journeys on the train.
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