Did you know the railway played an important role in transporting passengers of RMS Titanic?
Find out how as we commemorate 113 years since the ship sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on its maiden voyage.
Transporting passengers for the voyage
Our railway played a huge role in the preparation for the Titanic’s maiden voyage. At the time, London & South Western Railway ran two trains especially to transport first, second and third class passengers from Waterloo station to Southampton.
The first of two boat trains left Waterloo at 07:30 on 10 April 1912, carrying second and third class passengers, according to the Titanic Boat Train Heritage Trust. The second boat train carried first class passengers, leaving at 09:45 for its journey to the south coast.
The exact make-up of the two trains is unknown but it’s widely thought they would have included at least one dining car, toilet facilities and compartments for luggage. The train for first class passengers would have been designed to match the luxury and opulence they would experience on board Titanic.
Preserving the past
In early 2021, two former dining cars thought to belong to the London & South Western Railway company were found in South Wales. Titanic historians found them in a worn-down state in a yard in Blaenavon in South Wales. These railway carriages were important because they’re thought to be the exact type that formed the boat trains.
The British Titanic Society was eager to save the carriages and teamed up with the London & South Western Railway Carriage Group and Mid-Hants Railway’s Watercress Line in Southampton to restore them.
You can find out more about it here.
Reconnecting to the past
On 22 April 2023, the society worked with heritage steam railway the Watercress Line to arrange a special train journey to commemorate the 111th anniversary of the Titanic’s maiden voyage.
Families of passengers aboard the Titanic rode in a special train on the Watercress Line where they could see the same fields and villages their ancestors saw on their way to the Titanic.
In this way, the railway continues to play a role in the ship’s legacy.
