The two examples of jigsaws pictured in today's post, 21st October 2014, are from the Gibsons' Panorama series of 'letterbox' style puzzles.
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The first picture (left) features a 636-piece jigsaw titled Arrival at Temple Meads. In the picture, a now preserved 'King' class 4-6-0 No, 6023 King Edward II designed by Charles Collett, is arriving at Bristol Temple Meads Station with a passenger service from Paddington. the artwork is by Bryan Evans. A previous post was dedicated to this locomotive - go to the post of 12th August 2011.
The terminus at Bristol Temple Meads was opened on August 31st 1840. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, engineer to the GWR, the oldest railway terminus in the world was built on two levels with booking offices and waiting rooms at ground level. Platforms carried on arches were reached by a set of stairs. The first broad gauge trains ran to Bath in the opening year but by 1841 trains were accessing Paddington. By 1844 the broad gauge trains of the Bristol & Gloucester Railway were using the station. In 1845 the Bristol & Exeter Railway built a station next to the GWR station but compared to Brunel’s station, this was a mere wooden shed. The B&GR was taken over by the Midland Railway in 1846 and was converted to standard gauge. This led to mixed gauge track on the approaches to Temple Meads. A new station, replacing the 1840 terminus, was built between 1865 and 1878 by Sir Matthew Digby-Wyatt.
The right-hand picture shows the 636-piece puzzle titled New Forest Junction, featuring the artwork of Barry Freeman. The latter to the best of my knowledge has provided artwork for at least 27 Gibsons' jigsaws, although a few are repeated in different sizes. A busy Brockenhurst Station is depicted including three different outbound trains; the station provides easy access to the New Forest. To the fore heading the 'Bournemouth Belle' Pullman service is the re-built 'Merchant' Navy class 4-6-2 locomotive, No.35012 United States Lines, designed by Oliver Bulleid. The locomotive was built in 1945 for the Southern Railway and re-built twelve years later for British Railways (BR). To the left is a small 0-4-4 tank locomotive originally of the London & South Western Railway (L&SWR). The class was designed by Dugald Drummond and built between 1897 and 1911. To the right is a 'H15' class 4-6-0 locomotive No.30476. The engine was built in 1924 designed by Robert Urie. The origin of the class was in L&SWR days, 1913, but 34076 was built in SR days. The L&SWR was one of the railways amalgamated into the Southern Railway in 1922.