Scotland The Night Scotsman poster The Flying Scotsman poster – Robert Bartlett – 1932

Scotland The Night Scotsman poster The Flying Scotsman poster – Robert Bartlett This superb Scotland The Night Scotsman poster was originally produced for the London & North Eastern Railway to promote the LNER overnight rail services to and from Scotland. The vintage artwork for The Night Scotsman poster was illustrated by Roger Barlett in 1932.It was designed to be displayed in railway stations, waiting rooms, ticket offices and raailway platforms ninety years ago. Bartlett’s dynamic illustration depicts the popular train steaming it way through the Scottish countryside at night. The locomotive is powering its way along the railway tracks that run off to the top right of the poster design. The train is racing through the dark night thanks to the efforts of the train driver and fireman who are captured in the warm glow of the locomotive’s cab. The vintage railway poster was used to promote the LNER overnight rail services. It announces that The Night Scotsman departs from King’s Cross at 10.25pm with First and Third Class Sleepers available. The artists stylised rendering of the trees and hill of the rugged landscape, the clever use of dynamic perspective and the simplified, graphic rendering of the Gresley Pacific locomotive all show Bartlett was influced by art deco style of the 1920s and 1930s. What Is The Night Scotsman? The Night Scotsman was an overnight express train service that operated between London King’s Cross station to Edinburgh Waverley station, with stops at major cities along the way. It was the 10.25pm departure from Kings Cross and offered first and third class sleepers. It is a journey still treasured by many, as David Meara comments in his 2018 book Anglo-Scottish Sleepers, the sleeper was ‘one of the last truly romantic experiences left on the mainline railway system in Britain’ The service was popular with both business and leisure travellers. It allowed passengers to travel overnight and reach their destination, ‘refreshed’ early in the morning. The London to Edinburgh rail journey has long been one of the UKs classic railway journeys. No doubt spurred by the legend and romance of the Flying Scotsman, possibly the most famous train in the world. Whilst the flagship journey on the Flying Scotsman was the fastest and best known London-Edinburgh service, it certainly wasn’t the only rail service available between the English and Scottish capital cities. In 1932, the journey between London and Edinburgh would take around 7 and a half hours. But with a horrendous road system and air flights only being available to the exceptionally wealthy, the journey by train was the only real option. The LNER publicity office focused on the speed and comfort of its long distance expresses. The LNER’s restrant cars and customer service were far better than those of their competitors. The publicity emphasised the enjoyment and relaxation of the journey. The 10.35pm from King’s Cross was a popular service. The trains running in both directions would regularly consist of around fourteen carriages of which half were sleeping cars. The LNER  developed the A3 class of locomotive to increase the speed and reduce the journey time. Other Flying Scotsman Railway Posters The Flying Scotsman passenger train service began in 1862 as the Special Scotch Express. The Flying Scotsman train was officially named in 1923 after the passenger service from London King’s Cross to Edinburgh Waverley on the East Coast mainline. Its unmissable green livery, record-breaking achievements, and iconic railway posters soon made the train extremely popular with the British public. The Flying Scotsman continues to be a symbol of British engineering and a beloved piece of railway history, captivating enthusiasts and tourists worldwide. This famous train has left its mark in various forms of media, gracing the pages of books, the screens of films, and even adorning coins, postage stamps, and jigsaw puzzles. Its iconic presence extends to everyday items like cups, mugs, and coasters, making it a beloved symbol that permeates both history and popular culture. Vintage posters featuring the Flying Scotsman are especially popular among collectors due to their rarity and nostalgic appeal. These posters capture the essence of the train and are highly valued by those who appreciate history and art. The posters are a testament to its enduring legacy, the Flying Scotsman continues to inspire and captivate generations, becoming a cherished symbol of the golden age of rail travel. Some of our favorite Flying Scotsman posters include an anonymous poster for the LNER who in conjunction with the Cunard shipping line produced a poster to encourage transatlantic travel from America and Canada to the British shores and onto the Continent. The Cunard LNER poster depicts the famous train waiting patiently on Liverpool docks while its passengers disembark from the RMS Aquitania. Another well-known and popular poster was produced in 1932 by the British artist A.R. Thomson. The Take Me By Flying Scotsman poster depicts a small child standing on a railway platform looking up at a train driver in his cab. The poster mimics Southern Railways ‘Early Holiday poster‘ by Charles Brown. However, the size of the child compared to the locomotive, and the train driver needing to use a megaphone to communicate with the child, seems to be a playful way to show that LNER trains were bigger and faster than Southern’s. Leo Marfurt‘s 1928 Flying Scotsman poster is an Art Deco classic that barely features the famous locomotive or train. Instead, the bright and contemporary graphic, almost abstract design depicts a large crowd of passengers leaving the platform having alighted the train whilst others wait patiently to board. The image accompanies the message that the train leaves Kings Cross station in London at 10 a.m. every weekday. A personal favorite features the iconic train winding its way through the rugged Scottish scenery in the Monessie Gorge in Inverness-shire, Scotland. The stunning By Rail to the Highlands print was created by the renowned artist Terence Cuneo who was renowned for his incredible railway posters and fine art paintings. For our final highlight, we have chosen a series of posters that were created to celebrate the Flying Scotsman turning 100 years old. Each of the twenty Centenary posters marks one of the mainline centenary runs that took place between March and December 2023. The runs include East Lancashire, Royal Duchy, Keighley and Worth Valley, Cardiff Express, the Cheshireman, the Portsmouth Flyer, the Salisbury Express, the East Coast Mainline, and the Highland Express. We currently list over 200 vintage railway posters in our collection with new ones introduced on a regular basis. More than a dozen of these include superb reproduction prints and original Flying Scotsman posters. Take a trip over there and see where the journey takes you! How much is an original The Night Scotsman poster worth? This superb Scotland The Night Scotsman vintage railway poster was originally created by Roger Barlett. It was used to promote the LNER overnight rail services. Both first and third-class sleepers were available on the service which departed from King’s Cross station at 10.25 pm. The train continues to hold a special place in the hearts of many British railway enthusiasts, and its memory is preserved in Robert Bartlett’s iconic poster. The Night Scotsman poster is a rare, highly sought-after poster and is one of the most dynamic and railway posters of any era of the railway. As such it commands high prices when originals come up for sale or auction. In 2019, an original copy of this vintage The Scotland, The Night Scotsman LNER poster sold for a steaming £15,000 at an auction in Edinburgh. There’s no argument from us, if you can find an original copy and can afford to buy it, you’re on to a winner. There’s nothing like owning an original vintage poster and they often make a great investment. Chances are in just a few years you’ll be able to sell it for more than you paid for it. Unfortunately, for most of us, an investment, even at the entry-level prices of the collectible poster isn’t even close to being a possibility. This is where our stunning high-quality reproductions come into their own. They cost a fraction of an original and look absolutely fantastic when they’re framed and hung on your wall. Railway posters were once a common sight in stations and on platforms, advertising destinations both near and far. Today, these colorful pieces of history are finding new life as reproductions. This beautiful prints captures the excitement of train travel, and will make a great addition to any home decor, office or train set man cave. Order your Vintage LNER Night Scotsman from Kings Cross Railway Poster today and you’ll soon be enjoying the classic charm of a bygone era.