Carriage board for the City of Leicester (Central) Holiday...
Carriage board for the City of Leicester (Central) Holiday Express
In the 1950s, when relatively few people owned cars, most families going away on holiday would travel by train. For a fortnight in August (the break later moved to July) factories in Leicester closed and families left for resorts on the East Coast or in the South West.
For those who stayed at home the Railways offered other possibilities for enjoying a well-earned break. The City of Leicester (Central) Holiday Express operated during the holiday fortnight only, and would take passengers to a different day excursion destination each day it ran. Books of tickets could be purchased for multiple journeys from Leicester Central Station at special prices.
This is one of a set of boards that were fixed to the sides of carriages just below roof level. A circular name board was also carried on the front of the locomotive.
The board can be seen as a part of the Railways marketing effort. Named trains were usually prestigious long-distance expresses providing regular services. Equipping the train with name boards enabled the excursions to be branded as a package and gave a hint of the glamour and excitement of a long-distance journey undertaken purely for pleasure in a named train, during the period of post-war austerity.
