Windsor and the Station
A snippet of Windsor railway station or what was part of it . There is a railway station over in a corner off shot to the right but it seems to me a shadow of it's former self , a great deal of it now turned into shops and eateries - with Windsor Castle just outside they are not going to be short of footfall .
Located opposite Windsor Castle in the Grade II listed Victorian railway station, Windsor Royal Shopping is Windsor's must-visit shopping destination.
Many of the original features of the Victorian station remain, including Jubilee Arch, the cobbled stones and Queen Victoria's waiting room.
With over 40 exciting shops, an wide range of continental-style restaurants, cafes, bars and an art and craft market open seven days a week, Windsor Royal Shopping really is a unique shopping and eating experience.
Way back I remember visiting here to what was a museum --
In 1982 British Railways and Madame Tussauds restored the station, creating an exhibition called Royalty and Railways. It was later renamed Royalty and Empire. The exhibition recalled the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897, using displays of wax models and an audio-visual show featuring Audio-Anamatronic figures – the first of their kind seen in Europe at that time.
After entering the exhibition via the ticket office, visitors would be greeted by a scene on the platform depicting the arrival of the Royal Train, complete with figures of station staff and a full size replica train.
A full-size replica steam locomotive GWR 3031 Class named The Queen was built at Steamtown, Carnforth, and this was combined with an ex-South Eastern and Chatham Railway tender and fittings from a GWR tender. The locomotive's bogie and rear wheels are also from another GWR tender, but the large driving wheels are only half complete (the lower half) and they do not sit directly on the rails. This allowed the locomotive to be rolled into position when the exhibition was built. The replica was completed in December 1982 and delivered by road in January 1983. Two mobile cranes hoisted it onto the viaduct, then it was rolled into position on temporary track.[11] Tussaud's fitted smoke and steam generators so that steam was emitted from the cab, whistles and safety valves, and smoke from the chimney. A sound unit was also fitted.
Two carriages were used to form a replica of the Royal Train. Directly behind the loco was No. 229, a replica coach mounted on an ex-British Railways BG Full Brake underframe and containing waxwork figures of various members of the Royal Family. The second coach was the original Royal Day Saloon No. 9002 that was rescued for the exhibition from a cliff top in Aberporth, Wales.[12]
After leaving the platform, visitors could see the restored royal waiting room with figures of Queen Victoria and the Prince and Princess of Wales, before entering 'The Royal Parade' area. A walkway was constructed up and around the canopy, allowing visitors to view figures of the royal party exiting the waiting room and the queen boarding her Ascot landau. Over seventy wax figures of 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards formed part of this scene.
The last part of the exhibit was the 'Sixty Glorious Years' audio-visual show. The show outlined the growth of Great Britain using slides and projections, before the screen sank to reveal moving animatronic figures of some of the great personalities of the Victorian age, including Queen Victoria herself.
The exhibition closed in the late 1990s and almost all of the exhibits were taken away. The locomotive The Queen was too expensive to remove, so, rather than being cut up, it was incorporated as a feature of a restaurant on the concourse.[13] It is still there today, but looking a little tired. The tender – the only original (and historic) part of the replica engine – was sold to a scrap dealer and cut up, although the springs and axleboxes were salvaged for use in the replica LB&SCR Atlantic project at the Bluebell Railway, and part of one side was rescued by the Slough and Windsor Railway Society, where it is now on display.
The original Royal Saloon No.9002 was preserved at the Museum of the Great Western Railway. It is not known what happened to the replica coach.
The Royal Waiting Room is part of a restaurant on the concourse.
Windsor and the Station
A snippet of Windsor railway station or what was part of it . There is a railway station over in a corner off shot to the right but it seems to me a shadow of it's former self , a great deal of it now turned into shops and eateries - with Windsor Castle just outside they are not going to be short of footfall .
Located opposite Windsor Castle in the Grade II listed Victorian railway station, Windsor Royal Shopping is Windsor's must-visit shopping destination.
Many of the original features of the Victorian station remain, including Jubilee Arch, the cobbled stones and Queen Victoria's waiting room.
With over 40 exciting shops, an wide range of continental-style restaurants, cafes, bars and an art and craft market open seven days a week, Windsor Royal Shopping really is a unique shopping and eating experience.
Way back I remember visiting here to what was a museum --
In 1982 British Railways and Madame Tussauds restored the station, creating an exhibition called Royalty and Railways. It was later renamed Royalty and Empire. The exhibition recalled the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897, using displays of wax models and an audio-visual show featuring Audio-Anamatronic figures – the first of their kind seen in Europe at that time.
After entering the exhibition via the ticket office, visitors would be greeted by a scene on the platform depicting the arrival of the Royal Train, complete with figures of station staff and a full size replica train.
A full-size replica steam locomotive GWR 3031 Class named The Queen was built at Steamtown, Carnforth, and this was combined with an ex-South Eastern and Chatham Railway tender and fittings from a GWR tender. The locomotive's bogie and rear wheels are also from another GWR tender, but the large driving wheels are only half complete (the lower half) and they do not sit directly on the rails. This allowed the locomotive to be rolled into position when the exhibition was built. The replica was completed in December 1982 and delivered by road in January 1983. Two mobile cranes hoisted it onto the viaduct, then it was rolled into position on temporary track.[11] Tussaud's fitted smoke and steam generators so that steam was emitted from the cab, whistles and safety valves, and smoke from the chimney. A sound unit was also fitted.
Two carriages were used to form a replica of the Royal Train. Directly behind the loco was No. 229, a replica coach mounted on an ex-British Railways BG Full Brake underframe and containing waxwork figures of various members of the Royal Family. The second coach was the original Royal Day Saloon No. 9002 that was rescued for the exhibition from a cliff top in Aberporth, Wales.[12]
After leaving the platform, visitors could see the restored royal waiting room with figures of Queen Victoria and the Prince and Princess of Wales, before entering 'The Royal Parade' area. A walkway was constructed up and around the canopy, allowing visitors to view figures of the royal party exiting the waiting room and the queen boarding her Ascot landau. Over seventy wax figures of 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards formed part of this scene.
The last part of the exhibit was the 'Sixty Glorious Years' audio-visual show. The show outlined the growth of Great Britain using slides and projections, before the screen sank to reveal moving animatronic figures of some of the great personalities of the Victorian age, including Queen Victoria herself.
The exhibition closed in the late 1990s and almost all of the exhibits were taken away. The locomotive The Queen was too expensive to remove, so, rather than being cut up, it was incorporated as a feature of a restaurant on the concourse.[13] It is still there today, but looking a little tired. The tender – the only original (and historic) part of the replica engine – was sold to a scrap dealer and cut up, although the springs and axleboxes were salvaged for use in the replica LB&SCR Atlantic project at the Bluebell Railway, and part of one side was rescued by the Slough and Windsor Railway Society, where it is now on display.
The original Royal Saloon No.9002 was preserved at the Museum of the Great Western Railway. It is not known what happened to the replica coach.
The Royal Waiting Room is part of a restaurant on the concourse.