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The Railway Poster in Britain

The 'Big Four' companies - The Golden Age of the Railway Poster

In 1923 the main railway-operating companies were re-organised by the government. 123 private railways were formed into four new companies, known collectively as The 'Big Four'.  The new arrangements brought a greater degree of unity to the network and made life easier for the traveller. However, in their approach to poster advertising the four companies were very different.

The 'Big Four' were:

The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS)
 The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER)
 The Great Western Railway (GWR)
 The Southern Railway (SR)

The new companies were keen to develop strong company identities. During the 1920's and 1930's they applied their designs to everything associated with the company from locomotives to leaflets. This had a clear visible impacton advertising, especially posters. The LNER was the leader in graphic design, making use of good artists for poster illustrations and developingits distinctive graphic style, 'Gill sans', by Eric Gill.

Flying Scotsman poster

London and North Eastern Railway
Take me by the Flying Scotsman by A.R. Thomson, 1932
© National Railway Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

Strong, corporate themes emerged which became familiar to the railway traveller.The Southern Railway promoted the 'South for Sunshine' either to the English south coast resorts or to Continental Europe. It also emphasised its modern electric trains with frequent use of the electric flash or sparkmotif. The LNER promoted the East Coast resorts as 'The Drier Side of Britain' and also its prestige express trains. The GWR's keynote was 'Speed to the West', while the LMS promoted images which reflected the size of the company and the breadth of its operations. The companies also made use of the history of their operations and the regional history and identity to promote their services.

South for Winter Sunshine poster

Southern Railway
South for Winter Sunshine by E Vaughan, 1929
© National Railway Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

This period has been referred to as the 'Golden Age' of the railway poster. Artists such as Cassandre, Edward McKnight Kauffer, Fred Taylor and Tom Purvis produced posters during this time, making railway advertising some of the best contemporary commercial art. During this period it became recognised that the work of a graphic or commercial artist was a legitimate artistic endeavour and that there was an increasing need to teach commercial design alongside fine art in art schools. 

Speed to the West poster

Great Western Railway
Speed to The West by Chas Mayo, 1939
© National Railway Museum / Science & Society Picture Library