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Sir Winston Churchill's Funeral Train
The funeral train seen passing between the golf courses at Wentworth.
photograph by Mike Morant
Although the funeral was not to take place until 30th January 1965, the train's locomotive, Salisbury-shedded 34051 Winston Churchill, was moved to Nine Elms on 25th January to be prepared for the day. As a precaution, 34064 Fighter Command was also moved to Nine Elms to be prepared as the stand-by engine. On the day in question she was sent to Staines, though fortunately there was no need to fall back on this precaution.
The train was formed with a bogie van to carry the coffin and five Pullman cars, brake car Nº208, cars Carina, Lydia and Perseus and brake car Isle of Thanet. The bogie van was PMV NºS2464S, which was specially painted in Pullman colours for the journey, and was marshalled as the second vehicle in the train. The driver for the journey was 61 year old AW Hurley who was a veteran of Royal Train Duties and had previously fired a war-time train carrying Winston Churchill, and the fireman was Jim Lester, who recounts the journey at length in his book, Southern Region Engineman.
Early on 30 January and the finishing touches are being applied to 34051's preparations.
photograph by Roger Merry-Price
Early on 30 January and the finishing touches are being applied to 34051's preparations.
photograph by Roger Merry-Price
At approximately 11:40am S2464S was photographed as the empty stock, topped and tailed by two gleaming Standard 4 tanks, passed through Clapham Junction en route for Waterloo.
photograph by Roger Merry-Price
Perseus, also photographed as the empty stock passed through Clapham Junction.
photograph by Roger Merry-Price
Carina, with S2464S and car 208 ahead, passing through Clapham Junction station.
photograph by Roger Merry-Price
The funeral cortege travelled by launch up the River Thames from Tower Pier to Waterloo Pier from where the coffin proceeded to Waterloo Station and the waiting train by motor hearse.
Leaving Waterloo at 1:28pm, the train travelled slowly by Southern metals to Reading where it joined the Western region line for the continuance to Handborough, arriving at 3:23pm. Following a job well done, 34051 returned light engine to Nine Elms and back to her regular daily tasks.
The funeral train, en route from Waterloo to Reading, passes through Clapham Junction.
photograph: Mike Morant collection
The funeral train photographed as it passed Virginia Water.
photograph by Roger Merry-Price
From 30th January to 3rd May 2015 the Southern utility van S2464 was on view at the National Railway Museum together with Battle of Britain locomotive 34051 (Originally 21C151) Winston Churchill as part of the Churchill Final Journey display commemorating the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill 50 years previously
The van was originally built in Ashford in 1931 and in true Southern tradition was built using a second-hand underframe which had been retrieved from a LSWR suburban coach of October 1905 which had been withdrawn in 1927/8. As Churchill's health deteriorated plans were made for his funeral and in 1962 the van was repainted in umber and cream to match the Pullman cars that would be used to carry the mourners. It was stored from then until January 1965.
After his state funeral on 30 January 1965, S2464 was used to take the great war-time leader's coffin from Waterloo to Handborough in Oxfordshire from whence it went to its final resting place at Bladon, near Blenheim Palace.
Later that year, after its official duties were completed, the van was saved from probable scrapping by Darius Johnson of City of Industry, Los Angeles and it was exported to a recreation resort in San Francisco, California where it formed part of a display together with a mock English railway station. This clearly had the effect of saving it for posterity as with British Railways it would probably have had an uncertain future.
By 2007 it seems that the display was no longer viable and the negotiations for the release of the van were undertaken by Ivan Godfrey O B E. The mayor of the City of Industry, Mr David Perez, arranged a "Gift to the British People" and the Swanage Railway Trust became the custodians. In that year the van was thus shipped from Los Angeles to Southampton.
Subsequently the NRM Shildon has done a fantastically comprehensive high quality restoration funded by the Friends of the NRM.
Winston Churchill's funeral coach beautifully restored by CTMS at the East Somerset Railway, is posed outside the engine shed on 14th October 2009.
photograph by R. Bellchambers
Restoration work was undertaken by the East Somerset Railway where it was put on display at the end of October 2009 before being returned to the Swanage Railway for display.
In November 2014 Terry Bye visited Shildon and provided SREmG with these images of S2464S with restoration under way for the "Churchill Final Journey" display.
photograph by Terry Bye
The Southern Railway's builders plate and proof of Pedigree - an axle box cover.
photograph by Terry Bye
End detail of S2464S.
photograph by Terry Bye
As of 2020 S2464S is in a safe covered place at the ONE:ONE museum project at Margate.
