In the summer of 1963, a professional thief named Bruce Reynolds planned one of the most audacious heists in British history. His target was the Glasgow-to-London Royal Mail train, known as the 'Up Special'. A postal insider had revealed that due to a Scottish bank holiday, the train would be carrying millions in used banknotes. Reynolds assembled a 15-man gang for the operation. He chose a remote farmhouse, Leatherslade Farm, as their secret base. It was located just 17 miles from the planned robbery site in the Buckinghamshire countryside. The carriage they were after was the second one behind the engine, an older model that lacked the alarms and reinforced bars of newer carriages.
The Great Train Robbery
The 1963 robbery of a Glasgow-to-London Royal Mail train in Buckinghamshire, when a gang stole £2.6 million, and the investigation, trial and escape of Ronnie Biggs that followed.
Chapter 1
The Mastermind's Plan
0:46
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money was stolen in the Great Train Robbery?
The gang stole £2,631,684, which was the equivalent of about £60 million ($78 million) in modern value. Most of the money, which was in used banknotes, was never recovered by the authorities.
How did the robbers stop the train?
They rigged the trackside signals at a remote location called Sears Crossing. They covered the green light with a leather glove and used a battery to power a red hand lamp, creating a false stop signal that brought the train to a halt.
What happened to the train driver, Jack Mills?
Driver Jack Mills was struck over the head with an iron bar during the robbery, suffering severe injuries. He was forced to drive the train to the gang's unloading spot. He never fully recovered from his injuries and died in 1970.
Learn more
To continue the story, download the Chunks Microlearning app
Or get it straight away:
Download on iOS
Download on Android