NINETEEN SIXTY FOUR – PART 27
Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)
Michael L. Roach
Sir Winston Churchill was a British statesman, military officer, writer and painter who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. He was one of the most famous Englishman of the twentieth century and one of the leaders of the free world during World War Two. The day after the new President of the United States was installed on Monday 21 January 2025 Sir Winston's bust was restored to its place in the Oval Office at The White House in Washington DC, after having been in store for four years. This was entirely appropriate as Sir Winston had died 60 years earlier on 24 January 1965 at the age of 90 years. He was given a state funeral on 30 January 1965 at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. There has been only one state funeral since then, that of Queen Elizabeth the Second on 19 September 2022. After the funeral service at St. Paul's Cathedral Sir Winston's coffin was taken along the River Thames by barge to Waterloo Station to be taken by train to Hanborough Station in rural Oxfordshire. The coffin was then taken one mile east by road to be buried in the churchyard of St. Martin's Church at Bladon. Appropriately the funeral train was hauled by Southern Railway Battle of Britain class 4-6-2 no. 34051 “Winston Churchill” then based at Salisbury Shed. The engine was constructed at Brighton Works in December 1946 and was withdrawn from BR service in September 1965 to be preserved by the National Railway Museum.
The funeral train was routed from Waterloo through Reading, Didcot and Oxford. I decided that this was one train that I just had to see even though it was a journey of more than 190 miles to Didcot. I left Plymouth at 06.35 and Bristol TM at 10.15 arriving at Didcot at 11.41 both journeys being hauled by a Warship in the 800 series. Still undecided where to see the funeral train I journeyed on to Oxford. The 203 miles to Oxford had cost me 51 shillings (£2.55) for two cheap day returns.
Oxford was very busy with north - south freight and passenger trains as it still is, and in January 1965 many of them were still steam-hauled for the next 12 months; one of the last steam outposts on the Western Region. I stayed at Oxford for 80 minutes photographing trains but decided that this was not the place to see the funeral train. I headed back south again just seven miles to Culham to do some more photography, but again decided that this was just not the place to see the funeral train. The station was just too closed-in to see the whole train, so I headed north across the fields for half a mile to an overbridge. It was a cold damp miserable day which was perhaps appropriate to accompany a sombre occasion because in some ways the death of Sir Winston Churchill really did signal the end of an era.
My guide that day was the OS 1-inch map and I could see that if I continued to head north, after photographing the funeral train, I would come to a bridge across the River Thames where I was able to take more photos before the light faded completely. I had no idea what the bridge was called but 58 years later I would learn that it was called Nuneham when on 11 April 2023 all rail traffic across the bridge was stopped at short notice due to a failing abutment. The bridge had been constructed 180 years earlier by the GWR as part of its Didcot to Oxford Branch and was showing its age. The line was said to be carrying 40 freight trains per day and with passenger trains added and simple maths was probably carrying in excess of one million tonnes of train per month. I believe that the original bridge abutments were founded on wooden piles driven into the clay.
My journey home started at Oxford at 17.17 and took in the last train of the day at 21.15 off Bristol TM. This was hauled by a Hymek to Taunton where a North British Type 2 came on to the six coaches. It was a dreadful journey starting 33L and reaching Plymouth at 01.53 the next day – 65L - because of trackwork and signal delays at several places between Bridgwater and Teignmouth. This was a journey to be endured rather than enjoyed after a long day. In 2025 the last train of the day leaves Bristol TM half an hour later and covers the 128 miles to Plymouth in two hours.
Winston Churchill's funeral saw the largest gathering of world leaders in history up to that point with representatives from 112 countries. Among the more interesting ones present was King Frederick 9th of Denmark, because seven years later he would also die in the first month of the year, and he was also carried to his final resting place by funeral train hauled by two steam engines. That train is believed to be the last funeral train to have run in Europe.
In the present century the funeral train which should have run and didn't was that of our late Queen as her body was brought back from Scotland to London for the funeral. I believe that a carriage had been adapted to carry the coffin several years earlier and there is a Royal Train to carry the family accompanying the coffin. The coffin could have been put on a train at Edinburgh and have travelled via Carstairs, Carlisle, Settle, Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester, Bedford and St. Albans. Yes, I know the train would have taken seven or eight hours to reach London by that route as it reduced speed at the major stations but hundreds of thousands of the Queen's subjects would have turned out to see the train pass. In fact the coffin was flown from Edinburgh to London.
Apart from 18 months at Nine Elms and Exmouth Junction Sheds in 1950-51 34051 spent the whole of its time after Nationalisation at Salisbury Shed. The engine was withdrawn from normal service eight months after it hauled the funeral train in September 1965. One would have expected it to be in demand for hauling rail tours but I could find only one – the SLS Bulleid Pacific Rail Tour of 23 May 1965 starting and finishing at Birmingham Snow Hill. 34051 operated the first leg of the railtour to Salisbury via Reading West Junction. I am obliged to Richard Hoskin for providing a photo of 34051 at Solihull where the rail tour stopped to pick up passengers.
The funeral train was routed from Waterloo through Reading, Didcot and Oxford. I decided that this was one train that I just had to see even though it was a journey of more than 190 miles to Didcot. I left Plymouth at 06.35 and Bristol TM at 10.15 arriving at Didcot at 11.41 both journeys being hauled by a Warship in the 800 series. Still undecided where to see the funeral train I journeyed on to Oxford. The 203 miles to Oxford had cost me 51 shillings (£2.55) for two cheap day returns.
Oxford was very busy with north - south freight and passenger trains as it still is, and in January 1965 many of them were still steam-hauled for the next 12 months; one of the last steam outposts on the Western Region. I stayed at Oxford for 80 minutes photographing trains but decided that this was not the place to see the funeral train. I headed back south again just seven miles to Culham to do some more photography, but again decided that this was just not the place to see the funeral train. The station was just too closed-in to see the whole train, so I headed north across the fields for half a mile to an overbridge. It was a cold damp miserable day which was perhaps appropriate to accompany a sombre occasion because in some ways the death of Sir Winston Churchill really did signal the end of an era.
My guide that day was the OS 1-inch map and I could see that if I continued to head north, after photographing the funeral train, I would come to a bridge across the River Thames where I was able to take more photos before the light faded completely. I had no idea what the bridge was called but 58 years later I would learn that it was called Nuneham when on 11 April 2023 all rail traffic across the bridge was stopped at short notice due to a failing abutment. The bridge had been constructed 180 years earlier by the GWR as part of its Didcot to Oxford Branch and was showing its age. The line was said to be carrying 40 freight trains per day and with passenger trains added and simple maths was probably carrying in excess of one million tonnes of train per month. I believe that the original bridge abutments were founded on wooden piles driven into the clay.
My journey home started at Oxford at 17.17 and took in the last train of the day at 21.15 off Bristol TM. This was hauled by a Hymek to Taunton where a North British Type 2 came on to the six coaches. It was a dreadful journey starting 33L and reaching Plymouth at 01.53 the next day – 65L - because of trackwork and signal delays at several places between Bridgwater and Teignmouth. This was a journey to be endured rather than enjoyed after a long day. In 2025 the last train of the day leaves Bristol TM half an hour later and covers the 128 miles to Plymouth in two hours.
Winston Churchill's funeral saw the largest gathering of world leaders in history up to that point with representatives from 112 countries. Among the more interesting ones present was King Frederick 9th of Denmark, because seven years later he would also die in the first month of the year, and he was also carried to his final resting place by funeral train hauled by two steam engines. That train is believed to be the last funeral train to have run in Europe.
In the present century the funeral train which should have run and didn't was that of our late Queen as her body was brought back from Scotland to London for the funeral. I believe that a carriage had been adapted to carry the coffin several years earlier and there is a Royal Train to carry the family accompanying the coffin. The coffin could have been put on a train at Edinburgh and have travelled via Carstairs, Carlisle, Settle, Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester, Bedford and St. Albans. Yes, I know the train would have taken seven or eight hours to reach London by that route as it reduced speed at the major stations but hundreds of thousands of the Queen's subjects would have turned out to see the train pass. In fact the coffin was flown from Edinburgh to London.
Apart from 18 months at Nine Elms and Exmouth Junction Sheds in 1950-51 34051 spent the whole of its time after Nationalisation at Salisbury Shed. The engine was withdrawn from normal service eight months after it hauled the funeral train in September 1965. One would have expected it to be in demand for hauling rail tours but I could find only one – the SLS Bulleid Pacific Rail Tour of 23 May 1965 starting and finishing at Birmingham Snow Hill. 34051 operated the first leg of the railtour to Salisbury via Reading West Junction. I am obliged to Richard Hoskin for providing a photo of 34051 at Solihull where the rail tour stopped to pick up passengers.
6823 Oakley Grange heads north through Oxford with a general freight train on 30 January 1965. It was then shedded at Oxley, Wolverhampton and was withdrawn just five months later. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
An unidentified Hall-class engine heads through Oxford with a short freight. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
6967 Willesley Hall of Oxford Shed heads south with oil tanks through Culham Station. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Rebuilt Battle of Britain Class 4-6-2 no. 34071 601 Squadron of Eastleigh Shed heads north through Culham with a passenger train. The class were common at Oxford where they usually came off to turn and head back south. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
34051 with the Funeral Train is seen about half a mile north of Culham Station. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
The Funeral Train heads away north shortly to cross the River Thames. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
An unidentified Hall-class engine heads south across the River Thames at Nuneham. It was the nearest abutment which failed in April 2023. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Here is 34051 stopped at Solihull Station to pick up passengers ten minutes after leaving Snow Hill on the Bulleid Pacific Rail Tour of 23 May 1965. Copyright Richard Hoskin
Don't miss our next indoor meeting!
Please join us on February the 8th for an interesting presentation by Dennis Clarke.
Members: FREE!
Non-members: £3.00
(For info on how to become a member of the CRS, please Click here)
Meeting at the Memorial Hall of the Redruth Methodist Church (above the railway station - TR15 2EG), the show commences at 18:30.
Members: FREE!
Non-members: £3.00
(For info on how to become a member of the CRS, please Click here)
Meeting at the Memorial Hall of the Redruth Methodist Church (above the railway station - TR15 2EG), the show commences at 18:30.
The Channel Islands Boat Train
by Roger Winnen
Part 1
24.07.1974 - Steamer for the Channel Islands service at Weymouth Quay. Copyright Roger Winnen
24.07.1974 - The Channel Islands Boat Train. Copyright Roger Winnen
24.07.1974 - The Boat Train at Weymouth Quay. Copyright Roger Winnen
24.07.1974 - 33111 leads as The Boat Train departs Weymouth Quay. Copyright Roger Winnen
24.07.1974 - 33111 brings The Channel Islands Boat Train through the streets of Weymouth. Copyright Roger Winnen
24.07.1974 - 33111 brings The Channel Islands Boat Train through the streets of Weymouth. Copyright Roger Winnen
24.07.1974 - 33111 brings The Channel Islands Boat Train through the streets of Weymouth. Copyright Roger Winnen