Two Preserved Locomotives

In this post of 20th May 2015, two photographs are used of jigsaws depicting preserved steam locomotives. Both 500-piece  jigsaws are from the Trains series of four puzzles made by KG Games of Northampton; the other two were described in the post of 21st September 2014.

In the first (left), a 'Jubilee' class 4-6-0, No.5593 Kolhapur, designed by (Sir) William Stanier is shown in the LMS (London Midland & Scottish Railway) 'Crimson Lake' livery. Stanier was appointed Chief Mechanical Engineer of the LMS in January 1932, and between 1934 and 1936 he designed the 'Jubilee' class of 191 passenger locomotives. The LMS Railway began services in January 1923 and ended them in 1948, the year of Nationalisation and British Railways.The jigsaw is simply titled Kolhapur. Jubilee class members preserved are as follows - 5593 Kolhapur, 5596 Bahamas, 5690 Leander and 5699 Galatea. The original, LMS 4-figure numbers were prefixed with the number (4) after Nationalisation in 1948.

The second picture right, shows another of the KG Games Trains series' puzzles titled Oliver Cromwell. The jigsaw, again of 500 pieces, depicts one of the Britannia class of 4-6-2 locomotives designed in the British Railways Standard era, 1948-1968. The 55 members of the 'Britannia' class hit BR metals (track) between 1951 and 1954, under the supervision of Robert Riddles. The last of the class was retired in 1968. Two are preserved -No.70000 Britannia and No.70013 Oliver Cromwell. The location in the jigsaw photograph is an engine shed, possibly its home shed in BR Days -  Carnforth. The Carnforth shed code, 10A between 1963 and 1968, can be seen clearly on the smoke box door.

Three Named Expresses

Today's post, 5th May 2015, comprises photographs of three jigsaw puzzles, each showing a named passenger service.

'The Waverley’ was a St Pancras - Edinburgh express which began as the ‘Thames-Forth Express’ in the late 1920’s. The re-named express, complete with headboard, ran from 1957 until 1968. David Charlesworth’s excellent painting - The Waverley passing Horn’s Bridge Hotel, Chesterfield - was used as a 500-piece jigsaw and re-titled The Waverley at Horn’s Bridge Chesterfield. The puzzle was made exclusively for Country House Treasures, Chesterfield and is shown in the first photograph. Ex London Midland & Scottish Railway (1923-1948) ‘Jubilee’ class 4-6-0 locomotive, No.45561 Saskatchewan, is shown in the painting heading the famous express past the Horn’s Bridge signal box (and hotel?) in the British Railways era (1948 - 1968). 

The second photograph features an ex GWR express 'The Bristolian'. Titled "The Bristolian" - Britains fastest train, the puzzle from Ponda/Ian Allan, comprises 72 wooden pieces. In Vic Welch's artwork the locomotive hard at work is an unidentified member of  Charles Collett's, giant 4-6-0 'King' class, and the setting is British Railways' Western Region. The BR emblem on the tender indicates a date between 1948 and 1956, approximately. 'The Bristolian' was inaugurated in GWR days c1935, without a headboard, and ran between Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads. The headboard in the picture is the first type c1953; a slightly later type incorporated the badges of London and Bristol.


The 'Mid-Day Scot' is the final named express featured in today's post. The service began in 1927 and ran between Euston and Glasgow Central, leaving at around lunchtime from each station. The artwork in this 500-piece jigsaw from the JR Puzzles Nostalgia series, titled Mid-Day Scot, is by Edgar Hodges. Featured is the huge 'Princess Coronation' class 4-6-2 locomotive of (Sir) William Stanier, No. 46243 City of Lancaster. The locomotive is pictured at speed without a headboard: the latter was only introduced c1951, during the British Railways', London Midland Region era. The setting for the painting is clearly the  LMS, (London Midland & Scottish Railway) era, 1923-1948.

Once again I am indebted to Dave Peel's superb book Locomotive Headboards. The Complete Story. I thoroughly recommend the book to anyone interested in British Railways.