Today's post, 28th June 2015, comprises two photographs of jigsaw puzzles each featuring a locomotive from the 19th century.
The Brighton Railway 'GLADSTONE' class 1882 is one of four, plywood jigsaws showing early steam engines from a series made for Exide Batteries. The legend along the base of each puzzle reads “one of the series of twelve illustrations drawn for Exide batteries by C. and W. Meadway”. The puzzles are of 190-200 pieces and semi interlocking. The artwork was taken from a 1960’s Exide Batteries' calendar illustrated by the husband and wife team. Another in the series, A BROAD- GAUGE 8-FOOTER: G.W.R. 1851-1892, can be seen in the post of 9th April 2014. William Stroudley designed the 0-4-2 'B1' class of express locomotives for the London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) between 1882 and 1891. The class of 36 became known as the 'Gladstones' after the first member of the class. No.176 Pevensey (built 1890 withdrawn 1929) is the locomotive in the picture in the superb LB&SCR livery.
The second photograph shows George and Robert Stephenson's famous Rocket locomotive at the opening ceremony of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830. The 400-piece Regency puzzle is titled The Iron Road; the illustrative style artwork is excellent but the artist is not named. My puzzle is housed in a poorly printed box but the puzzle looks superb.