Peeling back the years: Vintage railway posters found at Richmond station

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Daily Mail:

With advice on how to open and close new electronic doors on trains, and information on British Rail discounts for pensioners, these fascinating posters will bring back memories for many commuters.

Staff working at Richmond Station in London uncovered these old railway posters from the 1980s while upgrading poster holders. Most of them are former British Rail posters before its privatisation in the 1990s.

Although opening and closing electronic doors on trains is now second nature to many hardened commuters, it was clearly still something of a novelty more than 20 years ago with one poster dedicated to the subject. It even offers the helpful advice that closing a train door behind you can help to conserve heat.

Another poster warning passengers that dodging rail fares could result in a ^400 fine or three months in prison is next to one informing travellers of the new Winnersh Station which opened in May 1986.

One poster advertising the Gatwick Express service from London's Victoria Station features the question: 'What's long, air-conditioned and flies to Gatwick in 1800 seconds?'

Chessington amusement park and zoo also features on one of the posters offering reduced rate admission to the zoo for rail travellers.

One poster advertises British Rail senior citizen railcards for men over the age of 60 while another advertises saver fares which are available on the Intercity Sleeper service.

British Rail was the operator of most rail transport in Britain between 1948 and 1997. It lasted until the gradual privatisation of the operator between 1994 and 1997.

[IndustryInsider]

Although opening and closing electronic doors on trains is now second nature to many hardened commuters, it was clearly still something of a novelty more than 20 years ago with one poster dedicated to the subject.

In a way it's gone full-circle, as Chiltern found it necessary to remind passengers on a poster how non-automatic doors should be operated when their MK^▸ (Milton Keynes) III stock started to be used on the commuter routes recently.