THE funeral carriage of illustrious former Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill is just a lick of paint away from its former glory.

Staff, volunteers and trainees at Locomotion: the National Railway Museum at Shildon, in County Durham, this week reached a milestone in the restoration of the carriage by completing the comprehensive structural work it required.

Southern Railway’s parcel van S2464S was part of the funeral train which transported Churchill from Waterloo, London, to his final resting place in Long Hanborough, Oxfordshire, in 1965.

Richard Pearson, workshop and rail operations manager at Locomotion: the National Railway Museum at Shildon, said: “We’ve reached an important point in the project to get the vehicle back to its best.

“All that remains is the painting back to its original shade of umber and cream by our dedicated team of staff, volunteers and trainees.”

The vehicle, on loan from the Swanage Railway Trust, is being renovated in the museum’s workshop so it can be an integral part of the Churchill’s Final Journey display at the National Railway Museum in York next spring.

The York museum will mark 50 years since Winston Churchill’s state funeral at St Paul’s Cathedral, in London, by reuniting the funeral train.

The display will include archive footage of the funeral, which was televised to millions worldwide, and will also showcase the newly cosmetically restored locomotive No34051 Winston Churchill, part of the York museum’s collection.

The Battle of Britain Class engine was chosen to haul the former Prime Minister’s funeral train on 30 January, 1965.

James Lester, the fireman on board the train during Churchill’s solemn final journey, will help the museum to commemorate the 50th anniversary by reliving his memories of that historic day.

The museum is appealing for other firsthand memories of the funeral train.

Senior curator of rail vehicles at the National Railway Museum, Anthony Coulls, said: “Our locomotive and the carriages that it hauled have earned a place on the national stage due to the part they played in Churchill's final journey.

“Until it was chosen to carry the great man’s coffin 50 years ago, this was just a regular goods van carrying things like vegetables and newspapers.

“The events of that day in 1965, including this last rail journey were watched by 300 million people on television world-wide. We hope people will join us to marvel at the train and commemorate this great national occasion.”

Churchill’s Final Journey will run from January 30, to May 3, 2015.

The cosmetic restoration work on the locomotive and Southern Railway Van has been supported by the Friends of the National Railway Museum.

Visit nrm.org.uk/churchill for details and to share memories.