Radio Exhibition Trains.
 

I was speaking recently to a friend about the loss of the Victoria Station in Nottingham. Between about 1964 and 1967 he mentioned a special multi-coach train that was in the station that was full of the current offering of the Radio and TV manufacturers of the day. Apparently the train toured all the major towns and members of the public were free to wander round at will (with a platform ticket of course!).

He mentioned that the Pye butterfly cartridge was demonstrated playing a badly warped record. Does this set the date perhaps?

Seems an excellent way of exhibiting, and quite eco-friendly by today's values.

Anyone know of these trains, or maybe even being on one?

Regards, SJM

Re: Radio Exhibition Trains.
 

I think we had a thread about this a few years ago,but I can't find it now. I remember the train visiting Norwich in the early 1960's. I believe it was sponsored by PYE. They were giving Pye Poppet radios as prizes.

Re: Radio Exhibition Trains.
 

A travelling 'sales' exhibition, I think it's a great idea!
It would be nice to see this idea used again...

Re: Radio Exhibition Trains.
 

Slightly off-topic - apologies. But this idea did slightly re-appear in the 1980s. I remember climbing aboard the 'KP Adventure Express' with my sisters at Llandudno station, whilst on holiday in North Wales.

An exhibition train with a fake APT-esque nose cone featured activities based around their crisp brands, such as Skips and Discos. We shot from one particular carriage to the next on a slide, as a loose tie-in to KP Skydivers.

No radios, but lots of free bags of crisps!

SR

Re: Radio Exhibition Trains.
 

Hello,

Nothings new….. HMV had a train display in 1934, self contained exhibition space, refreshment room for customers, staff canteen, dormitory for the staff, power generator etc.

Photos attached.

Phil.

Re: Radio Exhibition Trains.
 

There's a series of photos in "The Setmakers" showing how in the latter part of the last century, Murphy ran such traveling-exhibition-trains [attendance limited to Murphy dealers and prospective people-in-the-trade-who-might-be-convinced-to-become-Murphy-dealers]

"Murphy on the Move!" was the tagline.

In the same book there are photos of a London Double-Decker-Bus which toured several European capitals promoting the Rank/Rotel/Murphy brands.

I wonder just how successful these ventures were: if they made economic sense I'm sure that marketing-types would have continued doing them. This century, brand-promotion has gone online with social-media influencers and the idea of 'exhibition trains' would be seen as deeply sad by anyone under-50.

Re: Radio Exhibition Trains.
 

The success or otherwise of these promotional trains would depend partly on the rates charged by the railway companies for use of their facilities and equipment.

I suspect that the railway companies did not charge a truly economic rate, looking upon this sort of event as a chance for some indirect RAILWAY advertising.
I bet that the locomotive used would be of the latest design, specially cleaned and prepared, rather than any rusty relic. Schoolboys probably allowed on the footplate, whilst dad looked at wireless sets.