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.