Carriage that carried Churchill

Carriage that carried Churchill on his final journey restored

•Carriage took Sir Winston Churchill's body from funeral to Oxfordshire
•It was taken to Los Angeles after his death but returned to the UK in 2007
•South Railway parcel van S2464S now been restored after nearly 50 years
•Both are set to go on display in York to mark 50th anniversary of his death

Published: 09:01, 28 November 2014 | Updated: 13:56, 28 November 2014

The train carriage which carried Sir Winston Churchill on his final journey after his funeral almost half a century ago has been restored to its former glory ahead of the 50th anniversary his death.

Millions of people around the world watched the former prime minister's state funeral on January 30, 1965, in which his coffin was placed into the South Railway parcel van S2464S.

Following his death, the train carriage – which once carried basic goods such as vegetables and newspapers - ended up in Los Angeles before being brought back to the UK in 2007.

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The train carriage which carried Sir Winston Churchill on his final journey nearly 50 years ago has been restored to its former glory (pictured) to help mark the 50th anniversary of the former Prime Minister's death

Millions of people around the world watched the state funeral of Sir Winston Churchill on January 30, 1965

Train from Winston Churchill's final journey restored in Shildon

It is now owned by the Swanage Railway Trust and has been restored at the National Railway Museum's site in Shildon, County Durham.

From there it will be taken to the museum's site in York where it will be displayed with the Shildon locomotive No 34051, called Winston Churchill, which pulled the funeral train and which has also been restored.

Both have been carefully refurbished to their former glory to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the wartime Prime Minister's funeral.

At the time, thousands of mourners and well-wishers lined the rail route as Sir Winston's body was taken by the train to its final resting place in Oxfordshire following a state funeral at St Paul's Cathedral in London.

The Shildon locomotive No 34051, called Winston Churchill, which pulled the funeral train has also been restored. It will go on display with the famous train carriage at the National Railway Museum in York next year

Restoration work on the Shildon locomotive (pictured) has been ongoing to return it to its original state

Both the carriage and the funeral train will go on display next year, from January 30 to May 3, as part of the Churchill Final Journey display at the National Railway Museum.

Richard Pearson, workshop and rail operations manager at the Shildon site, said: 'We've reached an important point in the project to get the vehicle back to its best, ready to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Sir Winston Churchill's state funeral.

'All that remains is the painting back to its original shade of umber and cream by our dedicated team of staff, volunteers and trainees.

'We anticipate it will be back to its former glory by mid-January.'

Restorer Geoff Cale pictured adding the final touches to the newly renovated carriage

The project marks the half-centenary of the train being used at Churchill's funeral

Mr Cale next to a pile of machinery parts used in the restoration process at the National Railway Museum

Anthony Coulls, senior curator of rail vehicles at the National Railway Museum, said: 'Until the 1960s, the carriage was a fairly normal goods van. It carried things like vegetables and newspapers, goods that needed to go from place to place as soon as possible.

'The carriage shows how the everyday can become something quote important, and it is assured of its place on the national stage because of the part it played in Churchill's last journey.

'It is not a glamorous steam engine but it is something that is of great importance to the nation.

'A lot of people still feel strongly about Churchill so it is good to commemorate that.'

Sir Winston's funeral was watched by 300 million people on television and attended by representatives from 112 nations.

The former PM's funeral (left) was watched by 300 million people on television and attended by thousands

Sir Winston's body was carried in the cream and brown carriage to his final resting place in Oxfordshire

The Shildon locomotive No 34051, called the Winston Churchill, passing through Staines almost 50 years ago

The day saw thousands line the streets of London, where they paid their respects to one of Britain's most historical figures.

His body lay in state at Westminster and his coffin was borne down the River Thames with the dockers dipping their cranes in salute.

The procession travelled through London to St Paul's Cathedral for the funeral service, before he was laid to rest in the Oxfordshire Parish Churchyard of Bladon, situated close to Blenheim Palace, where he was born 90 years earlier.

The carriage, which was built in 1931, was initially used as part of two evacuation trains during World War II, before later being transformed into the original umber and cream Pullman colours in the 1960s.

In 1966, it was moved to Los Angeles to be preserved, but it was returned to the UK in 2007 and became a part of the Swanage Railway Trust collection.

Now on loan to the National Railway Museum from the trust, the carriage will be exhibited in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Churchill's State Funeral from January 30 next year.

Restorer Trevor Addisor, 70, helped to carry out much of the restoration work in Shildon, County Durham

The carriage, which was built in 1931, was initially used as part of two evacuation trains during World War II

It was later used as a cargo train, carrying vegetable and newspapers, before being used for the state funeral

SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL - WAR REPORTER, SOLDIER AND PRIME MINISTER

Winston Churchill was born in 1874 at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, to aristocratic parents Lord and Lady Randolph Churchill.

He was said to be a poor pupil at school and did not have a close relationship with his mother or father - who died aged 45 when Churchill was 20.

He married Clementine Hozier in 1908 and had five children, Diana, Randolph, Sara, Marigold and Mary.

Churchill first joined the army in 1893 and had an illustrious military career which saw him sent to Cuba, India and Sudan.

Alongside his military life, he also worked as a war reporter and was taken prisoner in South Africa while reporting on the Second Boer War in 1899.

Winston Churchill first became Prime Minister in May 1940, following the resignation of Neville Chamberlain

Also pursuing political ambitions, Churchill won the seat for Oldham in 1900, later serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Lord of the Admiralty twice.

He first became Prime Minister in May 1940, following the resignation of Neville Chamberlain during World War II.

During the conflict, he was seen as a pillar of strength and gave several memorable speeches that inspired the British public including a famous 1940 address to Parliament in which he bellowed 'we shall fight on the beaches...we shall fight in the hills....we shall never surrender'.

After losing the 1945 election, Churchill served as Leader of the Opposition for 6 years before becoming Prime Minster again in 1951.

He suffered a series of strokes during the 1950s and resigned as Prime Minister in 1955 due to his failing health.

He finally left Parliament, standing down at the 1964 General Election, and died on January 24 1965 at the age of 90 - exactly 70 years after his father.