Butlin Express

Today's post, 31 July 2025 details a 1000 piece jigsaw titled Butlin Express at Clacton-on-Sea Station. Malcolm Roots' 1988 painting shows two trains in Clacton Station with the famous 'Redcoats' waiting to welcome visitors to the Holiday park/site. Presently only three sites remain of the original nine - Minehead, Bognor Regis and Skegness. Some of the original Butlins' sites are now caravan parks/sites.

The locomotive sporting the huge, colourful Butlin Express headboard is a 'B17' class 4-6-0 No.61651 Derby County one of twenty five of the class named after football teams. The B17's numbered seventy three on completion. The class was designed by Nigel Gresley (later 'Knighted') and the North British Locomotive Company c1928. The second locomotive in the picture is a 2-6-0 'Mogul' mixed traffic locomotive, No.46466, designed by H.G.Ivatt. A new build 'B17' locomotive is currently under construction for the 'B17' Locomotive Trust* - more details are in a previous post of 12th August 2024. The locomotive is to be named Spirit of Sandringham and the jigsaw company producing the puzzle is Groveley. *details of the Trust and available jigsaws are available by contacting the following link - www.B17steamloco.com