Railway Train Steam Locomotive Cheltenham Flyer Birthday Card featuring GWR 7808 Cookham Manor and 4575xx class from a painting by John Austin GRA
The Cheltenham Flyer is without doubt one of the premier steam-hauled trains of all time with one of the highest average speeds of any express. Originally called the Cheltenham Spa Express, this was changed to the Cheltenham Flyer and was forever to GWR simply "The Flyer". Its initial journey away from Cheltenham was carried out by a tank locomotive as far as Gloucester before a large express loco took over.
Though short-lived, the "Shirt-Button" emblem that both locomotives wear has become one of the iconic styles of Britain's pre-war railways, this particular image dating from 1938.
