St James Station, St James Square, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
A steam train stands at the platform in St James station. The station opened in 1894 and closed in January 1966. The famous Cheltenham Flyer ran from here to London via Swindon from July 1923. On 6 June 1932 the express covered the 77.3 miles (124.4 km) between Swindon and London in 56 minutes 47 seconds at an average speed of 81.7 miles per hour (131.5 km/h). At that time it was the fastest-timed train in the world. The spire of St Gregory's Roman Catholic church can be seen in the background. The Catholic School of Saint Gregory The Great backed directly onto the railway line and it is said that pupils would stop work when the 'Flyer' arrived.
