Meet Their Majesties

In my opinion (one that is likely shared by many Fair enthusiasts and collectors), the single most important and valuable Fair "relic," the ultimate "souvenir," has got to be the guestbook that Fair President Grover Whalen kept. Filled with the signatures of visiting celebrities and dignitaries, the King and Queen of England signed the book when they visited The Fair in June, 1939. (They arrived late.)

New York Public Library

I believe I read somewhere that there are several of these books in existence; I got to see one two years ago when "Centuries of Progress: America's World's Fairs, 1853-1982" came to The Long Island Museum at Stony Brook. The book was quite the highlight of the exhibit, opened to the page bearing the royal signatures (which occupy a page all their own).

The book on display at Stony Brook is in a private collection. Alas, I can't show you a picture, since photography was prohibited. (Actually, I had my brother-in-law snap a few surreptitious pix with his phone, but they're so blurry that it doesn't make sense to post them.)

But it's nice to know the owner is amenable to exhibiting his treasure; hopefully it will be available for viewing again in the not-too-distant future!

Great Scot!

One of The Fair's most popular attractions was the railroads exhibit, and it's not hard to see why. The Duchess of Hamilton, one of the London Midland and Scottish Railway's luxury trains, was sent across the pond for a 3,000 mile tour of the colonies before being put on display at The Fair. The Duchess was, however, first re-christened The Coronation Scot. The real Coronation Scot was a slightly older train, inaugurated in 1937 for the coronation (hence its name) of George VI. (The real Scot was also blue with silver accents.)

The Duchess had also to be fitted with a headlamp and bell in order to make her legal for American rails. After The Fair, the Duchess became something of a war refugee, not returning home to England until 1942.

"The Coronation Scot" (far left) at The Fair

What a pity we don't
travel like this anymore!

Not long ago, The Duchess of Hamilton's locomotive was given a make-over to restore her to her original streamlined gorgeousness, and was unveiled in 2009 at Britain's National Railway Museum in York, where she can been seen and admired today.