South Yorkshire Times April 21, 1939.
After weeks of preparation all is now set for the great railway exhibition which is to be staged this weekend at Mexborough in aid of the Montagu hospital.
The London and north-eastern railway company are gathering together tomorrow (Saturday), and on Sunday, a series of locomotives and other vehicles representative of the main traffic resources of the company and indicative of the great technical strides which have been made in railway services in the last decade.
The exhibition is to be staged at the L.N.E goods yard in Swinton Road, And will be open between 2.30 p.m and 8.30pm on Sunday. For the benefit of those (and they Must be many in this district) who wish to make a more detailed and leisurely survey of the vehicles it is expected that Sunday morning between 10 and 12 o’clock will be the best time, as the crowds of sightseers will probably be somewhat thinner at this point than during the other sessions.
The opening ceremony is to be performed at 2.30 tomorrow by the chairman of the Mexborough U.D.C who will be received by Sir Ronald Matthews, chairman of the London and north-eastern railway company. Thereafter the exhibition will be thrown open to the general public, prices of the mission being 6d. and 3d. (Children)
there will be an official welcome of the railway Queen before Saturdays opening ceremony. She will be met at the Mexborough station and there will be a parade from their to the exhibition.
The exhibition will be resumed on the following day when Britain’s railway Queen will be the opener. She will make a tour of the exhibition at 2.30 and will pay another visit at 7.30. The railway Queen will also participate in Saturday ceremony, after which she will proceed to the Montagu hospital.
The list of exhibits which will be on which include a streamlined locomotive of the Silverlink type, a “Sandringham” class engine (a type used for heavy express passenger traffic) the garratt articulated engine (the largest Steam locomotive in the country), a locomotive instruction van, signalling demonstration van, camping couch, invalid saloon, old saloon carriage, but a car, electric cooking car, first-class sleeping car, third class sleeping car, Pullman cars of first and third class, plate layers trolley, steam breakdown crane, you type saloon, latest type horsebox, and latest type post office van,
these exhibits offer an unusual opportunity for people in the district to inspect units of a great railway with which they are casually familiar, but which they can rarely previously have Had an opportunity of examining closely.
The exhibits themselves are not the only attractions at the exhibition. There are competitions, amusements, and sideshows. These include an attendance guessing competition with a very tempting prize in the form of 1/3 class return ticket during the summer between the following stations: Sutton on Sea, Mablethorpe, Skegness, Scarborough, Filey, and Bridlington. There will be a shooting gallery, and novelties in the form of rides on the plate layers Charlie and in the huge breakdown crane from which unusual birds eye views of the exhibition may be had.
The interior of the signal box which contains a complete model railway, can also be inspected, and then there are also the attractions of musical selections which will be played by Mexborough Concerntina band on Saturday and Sunday, and the Salvation Army band on Sunday.
There will be a concert at the Royal Cinema after the closure of the exhibition on Sunday, and the railway Queen will attend. The following artists will appear: four Oklahoma cowboys, Stanley Gill, George Ryder; the glee singers; Rose Perkins; Milner Hunter; Jevon Tonks and Joyce Nettleton; Lillian Oliver; the harmonising twins; and the Olympia concert Orchestra.
On Monday a Montagu hospital ball is to be held in Olympia. Dancing is from 9 PM till 2 AM on the railway Queen will be in attendance with her retinue. Spot prizes will be given.
In order to provide every facility for the public to enjoy the exhibition, and with due regard for their safety, more than 100 stewards will be on duty during the whole of the time the exhibition is open. In addition to the technical experts, guides, and those giving assistance on and off the exhibits, this will also include the lady helpers for such posts as collectors, programme sellers, and helpers with refreshments. There are, in addition, a large number of Boy Scouts for various duties.
The stewards will take duty for four hour turns, making a total requirement of nearly 500 volunteers. These have been obtained for the most part locally together with others from the surrounding district.
Some idea of the enthusiast them of the local staff for the success of the exhibition may be gained from the fact that a number have volunteered to polish up the locomotives and saloons and to tidy up the carriageways on Sunday morning so that the crowds of Saturday Shall not prevent the exhibits from looking their Best again for Sundays visitors.