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Royal trains have always been a consideration of railway operators, and this included in the early days of the railways. One of the first royal coaches dates back to 1842, and still exists to this day. In 1840, the widow of King William IV became the first member of the British Royal Family to travel by train, and with the decision that this may become a regular occurrence, a special coach was built for her travel two years later.
Queen Adelaide, the aunt of Queen Victoria, would receive this coach in the same year that Queen Victoria would take her first journey by rail, becoming the first British monarch to do so. Queen Adelaide's Saloon, coach number 2, was constructed at Euston works who built the underframe and then combined it with a body built by a coach builder, also based in London. The coach built nature of this saloon led to it resembling a horse drawn carriage of the time. The coach was built by the London and Birmingham Railway.
A regal coach suited for a Queen, this L&BR coach is a perfect replication of the preserved example. The accessory bag contains two chain couplings.
As travel time by railway was superior to that of road travel by coach, coach companies sought new ways to compete, leading to mail coaches and stagecoaches being loaded onto the 'open carriage waggons' for onward travel to places such as Liverpool or Manchester. These connecting, or 'branch coaches' were to become the antecedent for the Branch Line railways of the future.
This flatbed wagon comes complete in a vibrant L&MR green livery. The accessory bag contains two chain couplings.