The Coronation railway poster – Vintage Edinburgh Railway Poster – Grineau c1930s

The Coronation railway poster – Vintage Edinburgh Railway Poster – Grineau c1930s The Coronation was a train service that ran from London to Edinburgh, was a prestigious and iconic passenger train in the United Kingdom during the 1930s. It was hauled by streamlined locomotives of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) Class A4, specifically designed for high-speed travel. Here’s more information about the Coronation Train service and the locomotives that pulled it. This Coronation railway poster features a beautiful image of the London to Edinburgh train speeding along the tracks with Edinburgh Castle set high on Castle Hill in the background. The poster highlights the speed of the Class A4 locomotive which was able to cut the journey time down to just 6 hours (a saving of 1.5 hours on the time that the Flying Scotsman was achieving only a  few years before.) The Coronation railway service, a symbol of luxury and speed in British rail travel during the 1930s, offered a prestigious and iconic journey from London to Edinburgh. Introduced by the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) in 1937, this train was named to commemorate the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, which took place on May 12, 1937. The service was designed to provide a fast and opulent connection between the English and Scottish capitals, London King’s Cross station, and Edinburgh Waverley station. At the heart of the passenger train’s allure were the streamlined locomotives known as the LNER Class A4 ‘Pacific’ locomotives. These locomotives were a marvel of engineering and design, featuring a distinctive streamlined appearance that reduced air resistance and enhanced their speed. Sir Nigel Gresley, a renowned industrial designer, played a key role in their creation. Among these locomotives, the most famous was the “Mallard,” which set a world speed record for steam locomotives in 1938 by reaching an astounding speed of 126 miles per hour (203 kilometers per hour). The Coronation train was synonymous with high-speed travel. It was capable of achieving speeds of up to 100 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour) on certain sections of the East Coast Main Line, making it one of the fastest steam trains in regular passenger service in the United Kingdom. Passengers marveled at the sensation of traveling at such high speeds, which was a testament to the engineering excellence of the LNER Class A4 locomotives. The train was usually composed of nine cars, with a distinctive ‘beaver-tail’ observation car that was added during the summer months. The Observation cars of The Coronation passenger service had a unique ‘beaver tail’ shape, providing passengers with panoramic views of the picturesque landscapes along the route. However, during World War II, the train’s coaches were placed in storage. After the war, some of the coaches returned to service as general passenger stock, but the complete train was never reassembled. In 1956, the observation cars were transferred to the West Highland line on the Glasgow to Oban line. Beyond speed, The Coronation offered passengers a luxurious and elegant travel experience. The train featured comfortable seating, beautifully appointed dining cars, and amenities that exuded the opulence of the era. Passengers could dine in style while traversing the picturesque landscapes between London and Edinburgh. It became an enduring symbol of luxury and speed on the rails, capturing the imagination of those who experienced it. However, with the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the train’s operations were temporarily suspended as the nation redirected its resources toward the war effort. The legacy of The Coronation train and the LNER Class A4 locomotives endures in the annals of British railway history. Their streamlined design and speed records remain celebrated to this day. Notably, the “Mallard” locomotive is preserved in the National Railway Museum in York and stands as a popular attraction for railway enthusiasts. 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!