It is perhaps the most infamous incident of the UK’s railways and it has now been immortalised in model form.
The Great Train Robbery was one of the biggest heists in the country’s history as a gang of robbers, led by Bruce Reynolds, stole £2.6 million from a night train travelling to Glasgow through Buckinghamshire.
Now the Luton Model Railway Club has brought the famous tale back to life with an impressive layout. The club explained that while they did not condone the actions of the men involved, the event is “part of the national consciousness”. Members of the club have recreated the scene of the crime complete with bags of money being unloaded from the Royal Mail train and robbers making their getaway with the stash.
The robbery was a carefully planned move and saw gang members stop the train on a bridge between Linslade and Cheddington at 03:00 BST on August 8th, 1963. They broke into the High Value Package coach, stealing 120 mailbags with over £2 million in used banknotes, equating to around £41 million in modern day money.
Last year marked the 50th anniversary of the Great Train Robbery and it was even immortalised in a two-part BBC drama, starring Jim Broadbent. The group believed that the significance of the milestone was enough to recreate the incident in model form.
Nigel Adams, member of the Luton Model Railway Club, said: “We have tried to portray this event in a sensitive way, taking due regard for the injuries sustained by the locomotive crew on the night.”
“The diorama features sound and lighting effects to portray the account of the event. There are 15 figures on the display, although we have taken care to present them as just that – figures on a model.”
The display was on show at Stopsley High School, Luton on Saturday (April 12th) and will be at the National Festival of Railway Modelling in Peterborough in October.