15th October 2019 · “Final Journey – the Story of Funeral Trains”

Presenter: Nicolas Wheatley

Nicolas has done some tremendous research, ahead of publishing a book, and provided us with a fascinating evening on the subject of funeral trains, on 15th October. Nicolas started with images of Beyer Peacock locomotives and their trains at Rookwood Cemetery Station in Australia. The station building from Rookwood now serves as a church in Canberra. Brookwood Cemetery near Woking is, perhaps, better known to us. Images demonstrated how LSWR operated trains, working on behalf of the London Necropolis Company, arrived at Brookwood serving two stations within, one for Anglicans, and the other for everyone else. Funeral trains for members of the Royal Family, and other notable members of the community were displayed. GWR Castle 4082 Windsor Castle was chosen to serve for King George V as His Majesty and Queen Mary had both driven the locomotive between Swindon Works and the main line railway station when it was new. For King George VI, it was 7013 Bristol Castle masquerading as 4082 owing to the latter being in works at the time. The identities of the two locomotives were never reversed! Sir Winston Churchill’s final journey was described, with Bulleid ‘Battle of Britain’ 34051 Winston Churchill in command. Is it still possible to make your final journey by train? Oh, yes!