Channel Tunnel - Sunday Stamps

I have a First Day Cover for this week's post. The Channel Tunnel, the first fixed link between the United Kingdom and France, was opened in 1994.

Great Britain - Channel Tunnel - FDO 3 May 1994

The Royal Mail and the French Post Office worked together to produce a set of se-tenant stamps. The twenty miles (narrowest width) between England and France has been a barrier between the two countries since the Ice Age. The tunnel under the English Channel (La Manche) now carries vehicle shuttles, passenger and freight trains with a journey time of about 35 minutes.

The left-hand stamp of each pair shows the French cockerel embraced by the British lion across the channel; the right-hand, hands across the Channel with the tunnel and a train underneath.

To see stamps chosen by other participants please visit Viridian's Sunday-stamps-84.html

Training - Sunday Stamps

Training seemed to be a good topic to chose now the Olympics have started. But as we did Olympic stamps last week I have picked trains instead.

Great Britain - 150th Anniversary of Public Railways 1975

This issue came about partly as a result of interest amongst philatelists and railway enthusiasts for a set of stamps featuring trains.

The village where I live is c5 miles from Stockton and 13 from Darlington. Yarm is the town three miles away which has this plaque on the Town Hall.

Pioneers of the first public railway

 The meeting to establish the first railway, the Stockton & Darlington Railway, was held at the Union Arms in Yarm.

Commemorative plaque - Union Arms, Yarm

For others' selections this week check out Sunday-stamps-81 where I know you will find some newly issued Olympic stamps.

 

Planes, Trains and Automobiles - Sunday Stamps

First an apology. As I will be without internet access until next Saturday, I will be unable to comment on any more posts until then. I will check out all your posts next weekend.

I find my albums are inundated with planes. I don't have any commemorating the Wright brothers but I can cover the first non-stop Atlantic flight:

 

This first day cover for the Postal Union has planes, a ship and a PO van:

I like this next stamp in particular for its clarity and colour:

But my favourite plane has to be the supersonic Concorde, alas now defunct:

The plane may be British, but the colourful stamp is from Malawi:

I spent a number of years working in Norway and that accounts for my final plane(s):

For trains I have to start with Stephenson's Locomotion:

 

The meeting that established the world's first railway was held in my local town. Yarm Town Hall boasts this plaque:

Trains would not be complete for me without the Flying Scotsman (shame about the postmark):

From abroad there are trains from Mexico and New Zealand:

I was very disappointed when I looked for automobiles and only came up with this First Class stamp:

I had to resort to stamps combining the theme from USA:

And from Romania:

There's not even a car on here.

If I haven't put you off there are more on view at: Viridian's Sunday Stamps 18.