Great Western Railway has announced that one of their brand new Class 800 IETs has been named after Paddington Bear author, Michael Bond.
The train, No. 800010, was unveiled on platform 1 at London Paddington, near to where Paddington Bear was created.
Unfortunately, Michael passed away last June at the age of 91. He created the bear in 1956.
The book was first released in 1958 and since then, more than 35 million Paddington books have been sold.
One end of the train says ‘Michael Bond' and the other states ‘Paddington'.
What did the officials say?
Karen Jankel, Michael's daughter said “Even before my father found the bear that inspired him to write his first book, he had decided that Paddington would make a good name for a character. He saw it every time he arrived at Paddington Station from his hometown of Reading, so it is hard to imagine anything more appropriate than naming a train after him. Sadly, my father is no longer with us but his family are all delighted that both he and Paddington have been honoured in this way.”
Mark Hopwood, GWR Managing Director, said “Naming one of our new Intercity Express Trains after Michael Bond is our way of paying tribute and saying thank you to someone that has inspired countless generations of children worldwide. Rightly so Michael features on our 100 Great Westerners list, having given us all such joy with such an iconic and loveable character that is popular even to this day. Paddington Station over the years has been a must-see destination for all Paddington fans, and by naming a train after him we are delighted to play our part in supporting Michael's legacy.”
- Visit the Great Western Railway Website
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