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Silver Jubilee

The Silver Jubilee train leaving King's Cross on 27 September 1935 on a trial run north during which it attained a record speed of 112 miles per hour (180 km/h)
Overview
Service type	Passenger train
First service	30 September 1935
Former operator(s)	London and North Eastern Railway British Rail
Route
Termini	London King's Cross Newcastle
Service frequency	Daily
Line(s) used	East Coast Main Line

The Silver Jubilee was a named train of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) that ran between 1935 and 1939.

History

Inspired by the success of the streamlined high-speed two-car diesel Fliegender Hamburger service between Berlin and Hamburg introduced by Deutsche Reichsbahn in 1933, the LNER proposed the following year to introduce a similar high-speed service between London and Newcastle during 1935. Over the next few months the plans were changed to comprise a normal-length train hauled by a steam locomotive, all being streamlined. The service was to run once per day in each direction, departing from Newcastle Central at 10:00 am and returning from London King's Cross at 5:30 pm.

To operate the service, an entirely new train was constructed – four locomotives (one of which was spare) and seven carriages were ordered in March 1935, all to new designs. The four locomotives were LNER Class A4, but only one of these, no. 2509 Silver Link, was ready in time for the introduction of the service – the others followed at intervals until December. The carriages were all ready in time for trial runs to be made on 27 September. One set of special carriages were built for the two daily services, which were not used on any other service.

It commenced service on 30 September 1935, the train travelling between London King's Cross and Newcastle. It did this at an average speed of 67 mph (108 km/h), taking four hours to complete the journey. The high average speed was maintained by running at high speeds uphill.

The train was made in the year of King George V's Silver Jubilee, and was painted silver throughout. It was composed of two twin-set articulated coaches, and one triplet-set; seven coaches in total.

On 6 November 1935, the newlywed Duke and Duchess of Gloucester travelled on Silver Jubilee from St Pancras to Kettering for a honeymoon at nearby Boughton House, one of the bride's family homes.

In February 1938, an eighth coach was inserted into the third class twin set, bringing the total to eight coaches.

The train set a new standard for speed in Britain at that time. Service continued until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939.

Technical details

Engine and train: total length 462 ft 2+3⁄8 in (140.88 m) Total weight: 385 long tons (391 t; 431 short tons).

Revival

The name was briefly applied to one train per day between King's Cross and Edinburgh Waverley in 1977 for the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II.

See also

• The Coronation
• East Anglian

References

1. ^ Nock, O.S. (1945). The Locomotives of Sir Nigel Gresley. London: Longmans, Green & Co. pp. 125–9. 16925.
2. ^ Boddy, M.G.; Neve, E.; Yeadon, W.B. (April 1973). Fry, E.V. (ed.). Locomotives of the L.N.E.R., part 2A: Tender Engines - Classes A1 to A10. Kenilworth: RCTS. pp. 92–94. ISBN 0-901115-25-8. OCLC 315757685.
3. ^ Harris, Michael (1995). LNER Carriages. Penryn: Atlantic Books. pp. 62–65. ISBN 0-906899-47-8.
4. "New Train's Fast Run". Hull Daily Mail. England. 30 September 1935. Retrieved 19 September 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
5. "LNER "The Silver Jubilee" Train" (PDF). The Engineer. England. 27 September 1935.
6. "The Royal Wedding AKA Duke and Duchess of Gloucester's Wedding 1935". British Pathé. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
7. "LNER Silver Jubilee – Complete Train". elegantsteam.com. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
8. Silver Jubilee (6 December 1935). Railway Wonders of the World. Amalgamated Press. pp. 1436–1442.
9. L.N.E.R. The Silver Jubilee. The Locomotive Publishing Co.

• Silver Jubilee of George V
• Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II
• Named passenger trains of the London and North Eastern Railway
• Railway services introduced in 1935
• Railway services discontinued in 1939
• Railway services introduced in 1977
• Railway services discontinued in 1977