Commemorative medal, Grand Junction Railway

Medal, pewter, 46 mm, commemorating the opening of the Grand Junction Railway, 1837. Unsigned. Obverse: viaducts. Reverse: times and distances of 8 towns from Birmingham. Diameter 47 mm; thickness 4 mm; weight 34g. (BHM 1790). Joseph Locke (1805-1860), engineer.

This pewter medal, 44mm diameter, was struck to commemorate the opening of the Grand Junction Railway on July 4th 1837.

On one side is a representation of the converging viaducts of the Grand Junction Railway and the London & Birmingham Railway at Birmingham, below which is printed "Grand Junction Railway/Begun 1835/Opened July 4. 1837/Cost £1,500,000/J. Locke Engr/"

In the centre on the other side is a table of time and distances from London to Birmingham and the main intermediate stations, which gives the total distance as 97.5 miles which is covered in 4.5 hours. Around the circumference are the times of departure of the trains. This reads "1st Class leaves Manchester and Liverpool at 1/2 pt. 6, 1/2 pt. 11a.m. and 1/2 pt. 2 and 1/2 pt. 11a.m. 1.2 pt. 2 and 7p.m."