A VAST collection of more than 125,000 items of transport memorabilia has been handed over to York’s National Railway Museum.

The Forsythe Collection of Travel and Transport Publicity Ephemera is one of the most comprehensive private collections of transport history in Britain.

Key items include handbills and leaflets relating to the 1966 World Cup, the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, the 1953 Coronation, the Caledonian Princess Steam Ship, the start of Hovercraft services on the south coast and the take-up of Sealink vessels for the Falklands war.

The extensive collection is taking up 108 metres of shelving in Search Engine – the NRM’s £4million research and archive centre – where staff are working hard to make it available to the public.

Helen Ashby, head of knowledge and collections at the NRM, said: “This is a key collection for anyone interested in transport and we’re delighted that people will be able to access it at the NRM. Given the wide range of publicity material within the collection, it would also appeal to anyone with a fascination for graphic design or advertising.”