Papers and diaries of G P Neele, London & North Western Railway, 1841-1927

George Potter Neele was, after a long railway career, Superintendent of the Line on the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). He began work in 1847 on the Eastern Counties Railway, but spent most of his working life with the LNWR. For the final decades of his working life, before he retired in 1895, Neele was responsible for the smooth running of the LNWR's Royal Train (there were several operated by different companies). In this role he regularly interacted with not only the Royal Family but also important people around them such as the Queen's favourite servants John Brown and Abdul Karim (known as "The Munshi") and various politicians, Prime Ministers, and courtiers. Neele was very proud of the work he did, and upon retirement was called into the royal carriage to be presented with a formal picture of the royal family by the Queen herself as a token of thanks for his many years. His diaries and published autobiography offer a great insight into the running of the royal train, including just how demanding it could be for staff to keep to the special schedules involved and how lavish the ceremonies at stations could be.