Portal:Trains/Selected article/Week 2, 2013

The Winton Train was a private passenger train which traveled from the Czech Republic to England in September 2009, in tribute to the wartime efforts of Sir Nicholas Winton, described as the 'British Schindler' for his part in saving refugee children from Czechoslovakia. In 1939 Winton arranged a number of trains to transport Czechoslovak children refugees to London. In total eight locomotives transported 669 children of mainly Jewish heritage. Sir Nicholas' efforts remained largely unrecognised until 1988 when he came to public attention. As the majority of 'Winton's Children' (as they came to be known) were Jewish, it is believed this saved them from certain death had they stayed in Czechoslovakia. As of 2009, the direct descendants of Winton's Children numbered over 5,000 people. The tribute train carried some of those original children and their families on the 70th anniversary of the original Winton trains retracing their original route. The 2009 train departed on 1 September from Prague Main railway station, and travelled through Germany and the Netherlands. After a transfer by ferry to Harwich, the journey resumed by train again to arrive in London's Liverpool Street station on 4 September, where it was met by the 100 year old Sir Nicholas himself. For the journey across mainland Europe the train was formed of period carriages and was hauled by historically authentic steam locomotives, while the British leg was hauled by 60163 Tornado, a brand new main line British steam locomotive completed in 2008, along with carriages that were constructed in the 1950s. The tribute train was the centrepiece of a wider cultural awareness project known as 'Inspiration by Goodness', organised by the Czech government.