|
The Churchill Project Appeal Help repatriate Sir Winston Chuchill's historic
funeral carriage No. S2464S home to the UK |
|
|
| RETURN TO THE HOMEPAGE
TRANSPORT BRITAIN |
|
 The van had been painted in its special Pullman livery in 1962 and then stored in anticipation of its eventual role to bear Sir Winston Churchill's coffin on its final journey to Bladon after his state funeral. On the 30th January 1965, this Southern Railway parcels and luggage van S2464S (specially repainted in Pullman livery) formed part of Sir Winston Churchill's funeral train that carried the great wartime leader and former British Prime Minister's coffin to its final resting place at Bladon on the Duke of Marlborough's Blenheim Palace estate. The special funeral train was hauled by the SR Bullied 'Battle of Britain' class steam locomotive 34051 Winston Churchill. This locomotive is now preserved as part of the National Collection at the National Railway Museum in York. The standby engine for the funeral train was 34064 Fighter Command. The funeral train was formed of the SR luggage & parcels van S2464S, and 5 Pullman carriages. Behind the locomotive was Pullman brake car No 208, followed by the bogie luggage van S2464S and then Pullman cars Carina, Lydia, Perseus and finally Pullman brake car Isle of Thanet. The funeral train hauled by 34051 Winston Churchill departed London Waterloo station and headed to Hanborough (for Bladon) via Reading. The return journey was hauled by diesel hydraulic No D1015 Western Champion back to London Paddington, meanwhile the steam locomotive returned light engine to Nine Elms locomotive depot near London Waterloo via its outward route. D1015 Western Champion is now preserved by the Diesel Traction Group and is based at Old Oak Common in full working order and occasionally operates mainline excursions. Several of the Pullman cars used in the funeral train have also survived into preservation. Perseus is now owned by the Orient Express Group and forms part of the luxury VSOE British Pullman. While Carina sadly is stored in poor condition on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Finally Lydia and Isle of Thanet, after many years in the USA, are now back home in the UK and are under restoration at Carnforth for eventual use on the Swanage Railway as part of the Wessex Belle dining train. Later in 1965, the historic van was exported to California in the USA where it was put on display in a mock English railway station on a golf course in Los Angeles. Ever since that time the historic luggage van has remained there but now the van has been declared surplus to requirements by its current owners, the Los Angeles City of Industry, and its Mayor has offered it as a gift to the British people. However it can only return to the UK if £40,000 can be raised to fund its repatriation and restoration. Hence this urgent appeal by the Swanage Railway to save this very historic railway vehicle and unique part of Britain's railway history. The Swanage Railway has previous experience of repatriating railway carriages from the USA. In 2000 it acquired the Pullman carriages Lydia and Isle of Thanet from the National Railroad Museum, Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA. After they had been retired from BR service they had been sold to the National Railroad Museum and were exported via the Flying Scotsman's North America Tour in 1969 to the museum where they were put on static display. In 2000 the Swanage Railway purchased and repatriated them to the UK. These two Pullman carriages also were in Sir Winston Churchill's funeral train in 1965. They are currently under restoration at Carnforth for eventual use as part of the Swanage Railway's Wessex Belle dining train. Let's hope that his funeral carriage can be repatriated as well to join them. The historic Churchill Van arrived back in Southampton on board the "Tamerlane" on the 24th September 2007 and was handed over to the Swanage Railway on the 3rd October 2007. It has now been moved to the East Somerset Railway for restoration before moving to the Swanage Railway for display. For further information about the Swanage Railway's Churchill Project to repatriate this historic railway carriage and how to make a donation please visit the following website: Swanage Railway's Churchill Project Appeal http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/news319.htm Other relevant Sir Winston Churchill funeral train links: National Railway Museum York The museum is the home of SR Bullied 'Battle of Britain' class steam locomotive 34061 Winston Churchill which hauled the funeral train from London Waterloo to Hanborough (for Bladon) via Reading and Oxford. Website: www.nrm.org.uk Swanage Railway The heritage railway is the home of Pullman cars Lydia (built 1925) and Isle of Thanet (built 1925) that formed part of the funeral train. These carriages spent many years at the National Railroad Museum at Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA having been exported there in 1969 via the Flying Scotsman North American Tour but they were repatriated in 2000 to the Swanage Railway. Website: www.swanagerailway.co.uk North Yorkshire Moors Railway The heritage railway is the home of Pullman car Carina (built 1951) that formed part of the funeral train. Website: www.northyorkshiremoorsrailway.com Orient Express Trains & Cruises (VSOE) British Pullman The VSOE British Pullman is the home of Pullman car Perseus (built 1951) that formed part of the funeral train. Website: www.orient-express.com The Havengore This is the historic motor launch that carried his coffin down the River Thames as part of the State Funeral. Website: www.havengore.com |
(c)
The AJN Transport Britain Collection 2005
A TRANSPORT
BRITAIN WEBSITE