It was late September 1935. Crowds gathered along the railway lines in Britain, hoping to catch a glimpse of a revolutionary new train, the “Silver Link”. This sleek, streamlined steam locomotive built for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) made its debut journey from London’s King’s Cross to Newcastle. Not long after, it set a new speed record for steam trains — an astonishing 112 miles per hour. It was a marvel of engineering and elegance.
That same year, King George V celebrated his Silver Jubilee. To mark the occasion, the new train was given a name as grand as its appearance: the “Silver Jubilee Express”. With seven silver colored coaches trailing behind, the train remained in service until well into the 1960s.
Such an iconic train didn’t go unnoticed. In February 1937, Meccano Magazine published an in-depth article on this groundbreaking locomotive.
And soon after, the inevitable happened: Dinky Toys released a scale model. The first sets went on sale in 1936, and in July 1937, the train made its first official appearance in the Dinky Toys catalog.
Originally listed as Dinky Toys No. 16, and later renumbered as model 798, the train set remained in production for an impressive 23 years before being retired in 1959. But although it disappeared from store shelves, it never left the hearts of collectors.
Which brings me to my own passion. In addition to restoring diecast models, I also recreate the original boxes in which these miniatures were once sold. A fellow collector approached me with a request: could I make a reproduction of the box for the Silver Jubilee train set?
It turned out to be quite a challenge. The interior of the box is cleverly constructed, and recreating the original typography was particularly time consuming. I began with a font that closely resembled the original, then carefully adjusted each letter using a vector design program. It was meticulous, detailed work — but in the end, it brought the spirit of the 1930s back to life.
Because sometimes a train is more than just a train. It’s a piece of history in miniature form.
With special thanks to an American collector who shared the measurements of the box with me.