2009 Buckingham Rail Series

See the latest covers in the Buckingham Railway Series

The 50th Anniversary of the closure
of Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway

We are very excited and hornoured to be working with the M&GN Join Railway Preservation Society, we are planning on getting the covers carried over the anniversary Gala weekend at the end of February.
The Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway network once covered the map of Norfolk. It began as a section of small local railway companies across Norfolk and Lincolnshire, that were amalgamated in the 1880's to form the Eastern and Midlands Railway. The Eastern and Midlands Railway was largely dependent on traffic coming from both the Great Northern and the Midland Railways, so when it fell into trouble in 1889, it was perhaps inevitable that these railways should step in to help. As a result in 1893 they acquired the whole of the Eastern and Midlands railway and the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway was born.
As was the case with so many of Britain's rural railways, traffic started to subside throughout the 1930’s and following WWII. In 1958 a British Railways committee recommended closure, and for the greater part the end came on 28th February 1959. As a result, the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Preservation Society was formed.
R46 - Midland & Great Northern Railway - £8.95

20th Anniversary of Class 91

This fabulous cover features a stunning piece of artwork by the great Terence Cuneo and is to celebrate the classic British Rail Class 91 locomotives which were built specifically for the East Coast modernisation and electrification programme of the late 80's and were well known in the 90's as the "intercity 225's".
It is the 91010 Class 91 that still holds the British locomotive speed record of 162mph. They were once known as the 'stealth Bombers' due to their blue livery, although some enthusiasts now refer to them as Dung Beetles! (an allusion to their opinion of the mark 4 coaches) although we are sure that you will be unable to come up with anything but complementary nicknames for this cover. The cover is postmarked with a spectacular illustrative postmark at Kings Cross, London. R47 - Class 91 - £8.95

The 75th Anniversary of the Railway Air Service

This innovative cover celebrates a quintessentially British idea, The Railway Air Service.
Set up "to provide and operate air services in the British Isles and elsewhere and to form connecting links with the services of Imperial Airways" The cover is illustrated with artwork from a member of the Guild of Railway Artists SC Hine and postmarked with another of our specially designed postmarks showing the Railway Air Services logo, and postmarked in Croydon (the Railway Air Services main operating base) The cover will also carry a special cachet replicating one that would have been applied to post/peoples tickets carried onboard Railway Air Service flights.
R50 - Railway Air Service - £8.95

2008 Buckingham Rail Series

140th Anniversary of St Pancras Station

Our St Pancras cover celebrates the opening of this magnificent station and its survival throughout the years, has been through two wars and seen off plans to amalgamate it with other stations, and thanks to public support and Sir John Betjeman’s tireless campaigning she was renovated and re-opened in 2007 with a bright future ahead of her.
Our cover shows a wonderful illustration taken from a Midland Railway postcard showing the magnificent 'shed' in 1906 with the great clock clearly visible in the background, the replica of which hangs high over the platforms once more. The cover has been postmarked at St Pancras. R45 - St Pancras - £8.95.

70th Anniversary of the Duchess of Hamilton

This cover celebrates the last of the red Streamliners, 6229 Duchess of Hamilton. Built in 1939 she saw America, war and was saved from the scrap yard by Sir Billy Butlin who then lent her to the National Railway Museum, who in turn bought her in 1987. She ran as their flagship for many years till 1996. In 2005 the NRM announced she was to have her streamlining reinstated thus restoring her to her original glory that is due to be completed in 2009. Our cover is illustrated with a lovely image of her as she is and postmarked in Crewe with a lovely illustrative postmark inspired by the streamlining.
R44 - Duchess of Hamilton - £8.95

60163 Tornado

To celebrate the first steam engine for 40 years we are producing two fantastic covers in conjunction with the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust and each will be carried! The stamps are taken from our sheet. Because of this, the labels will vary, so single covers will have to be our choice.

Great Central Railway Steam Trials - This stunning cover will be carried on the first GCR trial and will bear one of the special tornado £1 carried labels to prove it was carried. Every cover carried must pay this £1 to the fund.

R43a GCR Trials (our choice) £9.95
R43aSET Set of four. £39.80

Mainline Steam passenger services - To celebrate the first mainline steam trials, this beautiful cover will have the special Tornado carriage stamps cancelled with a special carried cachet.

R43b Main Line Trials (our choice) £9.95
R43bSET Main Line set of four £39.80

160th Anniversary of George Stephenson’s death

The next cover follows the very next day, on the 12th of August, and commemorates the 160th Anniversary of the death of George Stephenson, generally considered to be the "Father of Railways". I've been reading a lot about him recently and his achievements were remarkable.

We are honoured to be working in conjunction with the Stephenson Locomotive Society for this cover, and it bears their logo on the reverse. The name of Stephenson is enshrined in the history and folklore surrounding railways.

This cover commemorates the great man. The cover features another John Wigston gem, showing a "Black Five" No 4767, it was unique in being the only Black Five to be constructed with the outside Stephenson link motion.

R42 Anniversary of Stephensons Death £8.95

40th Anniversary of the Last British Steam Train

This cover features 70013 Oliver Cromwell, the engine which pulled the "Fifteen Guinea Special", which was the last mainline passenger train to be hauled by a steam locomotive.

We hope to carry our covers on a connected steam excursion. Artist John Wigston has again come up with something special for this anniversary. If carried each cover will have a Cinderella label and cachet.

R41 40th Anniversary Last Steam Train £8.95

Buckingham Covers Limited, registered in England No. 03877048 is part of Internet Stamps Group Limited, registered in England No. 03497867.
Registered office for both: Warren House, Shearway Road, Folkestone, Kent CT19 4BF, UK.
Tel. (+44)01303 278 137.
Email. betty@buckinghamcovers.com

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