British Rail Posters : Vintage

Over the years some highly respected artists worked on railways posters commissioned by the Big Four UK rail companies - the Great Western Railway (GWR), London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), and the Southern Railway (SR). In 1948 these were nationalized to form British Railways.  Not a great move, as it turned out.

In its heyday when the rail companies were flourishing the great UK Railways Poster was truly a force to be reckoned with, featuring the nation's most attractive resorts and scenery as a means of enticing customers to travel by rail. The landscape paintings especially were magnificent, whether in full 'fine art' renderings or more simplified, highly effective art poster styles. 

In addition, there were artworks depicting holiday and leisure pursuits, as well as some striking paintings  of the complex details of the railways infrastructure. These posters and artworks are now collectors' items.

With current road traffic and transport problems, a return to the former glories of rail in Britain might be highly desirable - especially if the use of top-quality artworks was revisited! 

Here are some of my favorites - CLICK LINKED IMAGES for more details:

Page One : Railway Posters Horizontal