British Railways Publicity
Promotions
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| 1980 | 1980 | August 1981 | 1983 | 1984 |
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| August 1984 | !984/5 Poster |
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 The ticket shown left was valid between September 1984 and April 1985, excluding Christmas and Easter. |
 Included with the ticket was a voucher, shown above and left, giving a start for collecting for the next free ticket. |
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| 1984/5 | 1984/5 | 1984/5 |
| To watch the 1983 Persil TV commercial featuring Martin Shaw click on the image to the right. File download size = 760 Kbyte. |
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Young Persons Railcard
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| 1975 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1981 |
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| 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 |
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| 1986 | 1987 | 1987 | 1987/8 | 1988 |
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| 1988 | 1988 | 1989 | 1989 | 1989 |
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| 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1993 | 1995 |
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| 1995 | 1996 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 |
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| 1999 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2003/4 |
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| 2005 | 2005/6 | 2006 | 2006/7 | 2007 |
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| 2008 | 2008 | 2008 | 2009 | 2009 |
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| 2010 | 2010 | 2011 | 2011 | 2012 |
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| 2012 | 2013 | 2013 | 2014 | 2014 |
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| 2015 | 2015 | 2016 | 2016 | 2017 |
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| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
Senior Railcard
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| 1970 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | |
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| 1978 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1980 |
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| 1980 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 |
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| 1983 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1985 |
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| 1986 | 1987 | January 1988 | July 1988 | 1989 |
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| 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1992/3 | 1995 |
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| 1995 | 1996 | 1996 | 1997 | 1997 |
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| 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2000 | 2001 |
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| 2001 | 2002 | 2002/3 | 2003 | 2003/4 |
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| 2004 | 2005 | 2005 | 2005/6 | 2006 |
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| 2006/7 | 2007 | 2008 | 2008 | 2008 |
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| 2009 | 2009 | 2010 | 2010 | 2011 |
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| 2011 | 2012 | 2012 | 2013 | 2013 |
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| 2014 | 2014 | 2015 | 2015 | 2016 |
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| 2016 | 2017 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
Family Railcard
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| 1979 | 1980 | 1980 | 1981 | 1981 |
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| 1983 | 1984 | 1984 | 1985 | 1985 |
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| 1986 | 1987 | 1987 | 1988 | 1988/9 |
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| 1989 | 1989/90 | 1992 | 1992 | 1992 |
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| 1993 | 1995 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 |
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| 1998 | 2000 | 2000/1 | 2001 | 2002 |
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| 2002/3 | 2003 | 2003/4 | 2005 | 2005/6 |
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| 2006 | 2006/7 | 2007 | 2008 | 2008 |
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| 2008 | 2009 | 2009 | 2010 | 2010 |
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| 2011 | 2011 | 2012 | 2012 | 2013 |
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| 2013 | 2014 | 2014 | 2015 | 2015 |
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| 2016 | 2016 | 2017 | 2017 | 2018 |
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| 2019 |
Two Together Railcard
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| 2014 | 2014 | 2015 | 2015 | 2016 |
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| 2016 | 2017 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
Disabled Persons Railcard
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| 1983 | 1985 | 1987 | 1988 | 1992/3 |
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| 1994 | 2007 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
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| 2009 | 2011 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
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| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2017 |
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| 2018 | 2019 |
Network Railcard
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| 1997/8 | 2001 | 2002 | 2002 | 2003 |
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| 2003 | 2003 | 2005 | 2006 | August 2006 |
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| September 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2009 | 2009 |
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| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2012 | 2012 |
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| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
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| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
Annual Season Ticket Holders Railcard
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| 1983 | 1985 | 1985 | 1986 |
Combined Railcard
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| Combined 2023 |
Posters
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| Young Persons 1982 |
Young Persons 1985 |
Young Persons 1987 |
Young Persons 2005/6 |
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| Young Persons 2006 |
Senior Railcard 2005/6 |
Senior Railcard 2006 |
Family Railcard 1982 |
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| Family Railcard 1987 |
Family Railcard 2005/6 |
Family Railcard 2006 |
Family Railcard 2007 |
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| Annual Railcard 1985 |
Annual Railcard 1985/6 |
London 2006 |
Travel Key - the BR credit card
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British Rail‘s marketing in the 1980s was a combination of innovation and imagination. Examples included the development of the range of railcards, major sales promotions with likes of Kelloggs and Lever Brothers (’Persil Free Tickets‘) and sponsorship. One of the more adventurous initiatives developed by the British Railways Board‘s (BRB), Director of Passenger Marketing Services was Travel Key. |
Travel Key was a credit card that could be used for the purchase of tickets, seat reservations, meals and to pay
for phone calls on trains, car hire, hotel accommodation, etc. It was a joint venture with NWS Trust Limited of
Chester who handled applications, card issues and billing. From the BRB‘s point of view it was a way of
improving revenue by reducing the level of commission being paid to the major credit card companies, Barclaycard,
American Express, etc.
Launched in 1984, Travel Key was targeted at BR‘s large business travel market as well as senior rail managers.
However, take up was disappointing. Market research indicated that the core market of regular business travellers preferred using major brand, bank issued credit cards, “British Rail should stick to running trains, not getting into banking”. It is worth bearing in mind that in the 80s most people only held one credit card, preferring the benefit of one single, consolidated monthly statement.
Travel Key was withdrawn in 1987.
Launched in 1984, Travel Key was targeted at BR‘s large business travel market as well as senior rail managers.
However, take up was disappointing. Market research indicated that the core market of regular business travellers preferred using major brand, bank issued credit cards, “British Rail should stick to running trains, not getting into banking”. It is worth bearing in mind that in the 80s most people only held one credit card, preferring the benefit of one single, consolidated monthly statement.
Travel Key was withdrawn in 1987.
Red Star Parcels
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| October 1985 | October 1985 | September 1986 | September 1986 | September 1986 |
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| September 1986 | December 1986 | February 1987 | May 1987 | January 1987 |
Tickets
| Advertising on the reverse of tickets was nothing new when these British Rail tickets were produced. The image (right) shows a London & South Western Railway ticket from 1914. Pleasant or Pleasure Outings was a phrase often used to describe what we would now call leisure travel. The website advertised on the tickets below, www.ticketmedia.com, provides more images of ticket backs. The dates given are those when these particular tickets were issued. Each design may well have lasted for a number of years. |
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| 1998 | 1998 | 1998 | 1999 |
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| 1999 | 1999 | 2000 | 2000 |
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| 2000 | 2000 | 2000 | 2000 |
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| 2000 | 2000 | 2000 | 2000 |
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| 2000 | 2000 | 2001 | 2001 |
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| 2001 | 2001 | 2001 | 2001 |
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| 2001 | 2001 | 2001 | 2001 |
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| 2001 | 2001 | 2001 | 2001 |
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| 2001 | 2001 | 2001 | 2001 |
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| 2001 | 2001 | 2001 | 2001 |
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| 2002 | 2002 | 2002 | 2002 |
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| 2002 | 2002 | 2002 | 2002 |
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| 2002 | 2002 | 2002 | 2002 |
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| 2003 | 2003 | 2003 | 2003 |
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| 2004 | 2004 | 2004 | 2004 |
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| 2004 | 2004 | 2004 | 2004 |
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| 2004 | 2004 | 2004 | 2005 |