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The Bucks Railway Centre will mark 60 years since the Great Train Robbery at a special steaming day in August.

On August 8, 1963, a violent gang used false train signals to stop a mail train from Glasgow to London Euston between Leighton Buzzard and Cheddington and stole £2.6 million in bank notes. The British media dubbed this crime the Great Train Robbery.

Regrettably, several members of the mail train crew were attacked by the gang, including Jack Mills, the engine driver, who was left with a serious head injury.

The Travelling Post Office (TPO) carriages have received a fresh coat of paint for the occasion

Bucks Railway Centre is in Quainton, only 11 miles from the scene, and many members of the gang stood trial in Aylesbury.

The railway centre has some Travelling Post Office (TPO) carriages on display, with exhibits outlining the events of that night 60 years ago.

To mark the 60th anniversary of the Great Train Robbery, the Traveling Post Office will be hosting special activities on Sunday, August 6.

A retired detective superintendent has recently undertaken a thorough review of the evidence gathered in 1963 by the Metropolitan and British Transport Police and the Post Office’s own detectives – its Investigation Branch (IB).

Plaque at Crewe Station honouring the staff who were at the controls of the train the night of the robbery

He reached new conclusions regarding the source of the inside information that led the gang to target the train (known within the Post Office as the Up Special TPO) on August 7/8 1963, and these findings will feature in a PowerPoint presentation to be delivered during the event.

Some of the existing information posters giving details and background to the robbery are also being updated in the light of the superintendent’s conclusions.

A Bucks Railway Centre spokesperson said: “We are holding this event to help educate anyone who is interested to learn about it.

“Although it is a very emotive topic, as it is obviously very upsetting for some to hear about such a violent attack on postal staff, we believe it is an important part of railway history and we will be treating it with the respect it deserves.”

Details of the special event can be found on the Bucks Railway Centre website.

Bucks Railway Centre near Aylesbury and Leighton Buzzard marks 60th anniversary of the Great Train Robbery