The William Shakespeare
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type | Passenger train |
| First service | 3 May 1951 |
| Last service | 8 September 1951 |
| Former operator(s) | British Railways |
| Route | |
| Termini | London Paddington Wolverhampton / Stratford-upon-Avon |
| Service frequency | Daily |
| Line(s) used | Great Western Main Line Greenford branch line Chiltern Main Line Leamington–Stratford line |
The William Shakespeare was a named train of British Railways. It only ran for a single summer, from 3 May to 8 September 1951.
Together with The Merchant Venturer, this was one of two excursions from London on the Western Region, as part of the Festival of Britain.[1] Both of them ran from London with timings intended for a day out from the capital, to some of the cultural highlights that were the focuses of the festival. For the William Shakespeare this was Stratford-upon-Avon; The Merchant Venturer ran to Bristol and Weston-super-Mare. Both of them used new Mark 1 carriages painted in British Railways' carmine and cream livery.[2]
The William Shakespeare operated from London Paddington to Wolverhampton, with a through portion of four carriages attached and detached at Leamington Spa for William Shakespeare's home of Stratford-upon-Avon.[2] The main section left London at 10:10 and returned from Stratford and Wolverhampton at 19:23 and 19:50 respectively.[3] Unusually for a named express, it was hauled on some occasions by Class 5100 tank engine, although only on the Leamington Spa to Stratord-upon-Avon part of the journey.[2]