Norvic Philatelics

Classic Locomotives - preserved steam railways - 6 stamps and a Miniature Sheet

Royal Mail continues the transport series that began with Buses in 2001, Airliners in May 2002 and Transports of Delight (toys) in September 2003, with a set of six stamps featuring steam locomotives. The set also marks the 200th anniversary of the first journey by a steam locomotive, Trevithick's Penydarren locomotive, which took place in February 1804 in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales.

20p stamp Dolgoch 0-4-0T on the Talyllyn Railway in  North Wales

28p stamp CR 439 0-4-4 on the Caledonian Railway

20p - Dolgoch 0-4-0T on the narrow gauge Talyllyn Railway in North Wales.

28p - CR 439 0-4-4 tank locomotive on the Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway, Scotland

'E' rate stamp Great Central Railway 8K 2-8-0

42p stamp - Manor Class 'Bradley Manor'

'E' - Great Central Railway 8K 2.8.0 express goods locomotive

42p - Manor Class 'Bradley Manor' on the Severn Valley Railway.

47p stamp West Country class 'Blackmoor Vale'

68p stamp Standard class 4 2-6-4T

47p - West Country class 'Blackmoor Vale' on the Bluebell Railway

68p - Standard class 4 2-6-4T on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway

The stamps in more detail [The railways in more detail]

20p - Dolgoch 0-4-0T. Dolgoch was the first locomotive to pull a passenger train on a heritage railway in the UK and possibly, the world. The stamp shows it on the narrow gauge Talyllyn Railway in North Wales.

28p - CR 439 0-4-4. This stamp features the Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway.

E Class - GCR 8K 2-8-0. This stamp has the Great Central Railway 2.8.0 express goods locomotive in British Railways livery with a rake of 'windcutter' wagons. A typical freight train of the 1950s.

42p - GWR Manor 4-6-0. This stamp features the Great Western Manor Class 'Bradley Manor' with a train of Great Western Railway carriages approaching Victoria Bridge over the River Severn. This line is now operated as the Severn Valley Railway.

47p - SR West Country 4-6-2. This stamp shows the 'air smoothed' West Country class 'Blackmoor Vale' at Horsted Keynes Station. This class of locomotive is famous for pulling 'The Golden Arrow' and 'Bournemouth Belle' Pullman trains in the 1950s and early 60s. The Bluebell Line is one of Britain's earliest preserved railways.

68p - BR Standard 4 2-6-4T. This stamp shows a BR Standard Class locomotive of the 1950s leaving Haworth Station, on the line now operated by the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. This loco was one of 999 engines built to British Railway designs based on the best practices of the 'Big Four' railway companies.


Technical details:
marginal markings on sheet of train stampsfull sheet of 20p stampsThese stamps are designed by Roundel (Mike Denny) from photographs by John Wildgoose.
The stamps are litho-printed by De La Rue Security Print, perforated 14½ x 14½. The stamps are printed in sheets of 24 and 48. Post Office branches will have sheets of 24; the Philatelic Bureau and Post Offices with philatelic counters will have sheets of 48. The sheet of 24 x 20p stamps is shown, together with an enlarged view of the top and lower right hand corners showing Railway Company logos and 'steam puff' colour dots respectively.

Miniature sheet

marginal mark with railway company logos

A miniature sheet containing all six stamps will be issued on the same day - shown on FDC below.


All images are taken from Royal Mail's Postmark Bulletin and Philatelic Bulletin, and are Copyright 2003 by Royal Mail Group.


Special First Day of Issue Postmarks

These postmarks were available for the date of issue and all should be available on first day covers. However some will be more plentiful than others, and some may only be available on specific 'official covers', with a very few on PO fdcs in collections. It may be many years before these appear on the resale market.

part of railway signal

railway tracks

coat of arms of the Great Central Railway

Worth Valley station sign and locomotive

National Railway Museum logo

Ref FD401
Philatelic Bureau postmark

Ref FD402
Official York first day of issue postmark

Ref M8862
Great Central Railway, Loughborough (coat of arms)

Ref N8863
Keighley & Worth Valley Railway Howarth Station

Ref N8864
National Railway Museum York

steam locomotive and Railway Magazine logo

steam locomotive

steam locomotive

steam locomotive

steam locomotive

Ref L8853
RAILWAY MAGAZINE London SE1

Ref L8854
King's Cross London

Ref L8855
Charing Cross London WC2

Ref L8857
Flying Scotsman, Euston London NW1

Ref M8860
Bridgnorth

steam locomotive

Class A4 and 'Railtrail Tours' logo

similar to class A4 steam locomotive

early steam locomotive

steam locomotive

Ref M8861
New Street, Birmingham

Ref M8859
Railtrail Tours Cheddleton, Leek, Staffs

Ref N8865
Classic Locomotives, York

Ref E8868
Canterbury

Ref W8869
Penydarren, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales

A4 class steam locomotive 'Mallard'

steam locomotive 46229

4-6-0 steam locomotive

2-8-0 steam locomotive Class 8K

Standard 4 locomotive 2-6-4T

Ref L8895
King's Cross, London N1 [Mallard, A4 class]

Ref L8896
Euston Station, London NW1 [No 46229]

Ref M8908
Kidderminster, Worcestershire

Ref M8909
Loughborough, Leicestershire

Ref N8911
Haworth, Keighley, W Yorkshire

Caledonian Railway tank locomotive

West Country Class 4-6-2 locomotive

1804 Trevithick steam locomotive

0-4-0T narrow gauge locomotive Dolgoch

2-8-0 steam locomotive

Ref S8915
Bo'ness, West Lothian

Ref E8921
Horsted Keynes, Haywards Heath, E Sussex

Ref W8930
Penydarren, Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan

Ref W8931
Tywyn, Gwynedd

Ref L8898
London Victoria

generic steam locomotive

station name plate, Bo'ness

generic steam locomotive

1804 Trevithick steam locomotive

0-4-0T narrow gauge locomotive Dolgoch

Ref L8897
Steam Bicentenary, King's Cross, London

Ref S8914
Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway, Bo'ness, West Lothian

Ref E8920
The North Western, Wolverton, Milton Keynes

Ref W8928
Penydarren, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, Steam Bicentenary

Ref W8929
Rheilffordd Talyllyn Railway Tywyn Preserving the past building the future

text

Glenn Miller (bandleader)

locomotive class plate

NATO symbol

Ref W8872
Locomotifau Clasurol - Classic Locomotives, Penydarren, Merthyr Tydfil 2004

Ref L8856
Chattanooga Choo Choo, Miller Road, London SW19

Ref E8922
Classic Locomotivers, Bletchley Park, Milton Keynes

Ref S8916
36th Anniv. of Formation of NATO's Atlantic Squadron, Campbeltown

Ref E8919
Wrenn Railways Collectors Club, Great Marlow, Bucks

Norvic Exclusive First Day Covers

We produced two limited edition FDCs for this issue, one for the set of 6 stamps and one for the miniature sheet, and some maximum cards. The FDCs, cards and stamps can be ordered from our online shop.
Classic railway locomotives set of stamps on Norvic official first day cover showing The Black Prince
Classic railway locomotives minaiture sheet stamps on Norvic official first day cover showing The Black Prince

This page updated 14 February 2004. [17.1.05]

2003
2004 stamp issues
2005
13 January Classic Steam Locomotives 30 January Hong Kong Stamp Expo 2004 Smilers Sheet 3 February Occasions/Greetings stamps and Smilers sheet 26 February Lord of the Rings 16 March Letters by Night Prestige Book (TPOs)
A British Journey - Northern Ireland
1 April New definitives, including airmail postcard book of stamps 6 April Centenary of the Entente Cordiale 13 April Ocean Liners 11 May 40p Country definitives 25 May Royal Horticultural Society
15 June British Journey - Wales 29 July Rule Britannia Smilers Sheet 10 August Royal Society of Arts 16 September Woodland Animals 5 October Scottish Parliament Building
12 October Crimean War 2 November Father Christmas
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