30th January 2021

56 years ago today
Churchill's Funeral
Mike Roach

The 30th January 1965 was the occasion of a very important State Funeral - that of Sir Winston Churchill. This was the Last State Funeral.
Fortunately for us Mike Roach had made the 200 or so mile journey from Plymouth up to the Culham area.
Mike Roach writes :- 
It was Winston Churchill's Funeral on 30 January 1965. Here are 3 photos of the train taken from 2 negatives. The location is just north of Culham midway between the Station and the bridge across the River Thames. It was a dull miserable day and not a bit conducive to photography, but I had to take it having travelled a couple of hundred miles to do it.

The coffin was in the second vehicle which was a wooden bodied parcels van.

Regards, Mike

Winston Churchill Funeral Train 30th January 1965 Strictly Copyright Mike Roach

Winston Churchill Funeral Train 30th January 1965 Strictly Copyright Mike Roach

Winston Churchill Funeral Train heads away towards Hanborough. 30th January 1965 Strictly Copyright Mike Roach

On 24 January 1965, Winston Churchill died. At his state funeral on 30 January 1965 a special train hauled by 34051 Winston Churchill was laid on to take the coffin containing  Sir Winston Churchill and his family to Handborough. Handborough was the closest station, at one and a quarter miles, from the parish church of Bladon where Churchill’s body was  interred.  This station is about seven miles north-west of Oxford. The train was one the last state funerals in the world. Handborough station was closed to passengers on the 20th September 1965. ​

​Highly recommended :-  There is an excellent piece on Sir Winston Churchill's Funeral train on the National Railway Museum site = please click here  https://www.railwaymuseum.org.uk/what-was-on/churchills-final-journey

​34051 2C151 was built at Brighton and entered traffic in December 1946. It was withdrawn from active service in September 1965 and later given a place at the National Railway Museum York,

Many thanks to Michael Roach
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Roy Hart kindly advises us that as far as he knows the last state funeral hauled by steam was that of King Frederik IX of Denmark, in January 1972. The late king was a railway enthusiast and had requested steam, I believe.
Roy

A reply to calling
Guild Train Managers
Chris Osment 

Yesterdays item from Jeff Vinter brought back a few memories, as I was on the Committee of the Exeter University Railway Society circa-1969 and therefore had some involvement with the ‘Guild Trains’, which certainly did run during that period. It was not uncommon to have some unsold tickets left over after each train and I have ‘hoarded’ a few of those ever since! I have left a message for Jeff on the Railway Ramblers website.
 
Chris

Exeter Guild Tickets. Especially interesting is the 28th March 1970 example. It is routed via Lavington.. This station Closed to passengers on the 18th April 1966 and to goods on the 3rd Apl 67. Tickets from the Chris Osment Collection.

Many thanks Chris.
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Craig on TV
You will find this very interesting

I am surprised this programme has not been flagged up in your pages especially as Craig Munday features quite a lot on it a s well as the Royal Albert Bridge, the refurbished Saltash station building interior and the accommodation coaches at St Germans. A fascinating programme presented by the enthusiastic Tim Dunn. Lots of aerial shots to salivate over. An absolute treat.


Details of which channels to find the programme 'The Architecture The Railways Built on Yesterday Channel are shown in the following link. It is being shown at various times and days over the coming days and you can also download it to watch.

The Architecture the Railways Built | Yesterday Channel (uktv.co.uk)

Regards Clive Smith

Well done Craig and many thanks to Clive for the reminder.
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