Victorian Railway Mascot Station Jim Rejoins Slough Platform 5 After Makeover

Station Jim, the beloved Victorian railway mascot, has been restored and returned to his permanent home at Slough station, now proudly displayed in a custom-built cabinet on Platform 5.

Great Western Railway (GWR) led the restoration project in collaboration with Museums Partnership Reading, Arts Council England, and the Aldama Foundation, aiming to preserve the iconic canine for future generations.

Born in 1894, Station Jim arrived at Slough as a three-month-old puppy and quickly became a fixture of the station. Equipped with a collection box and harness, he entertained passengers, performing tricks and barking enthusiastically as donations were made to the Great Western Railway Widows and Orphans Fund. Following his death in 1896, Jim was preserved along with his original collection box, a symbol of the affection he inspired.

As part of this year’s Railway 200 celebrations, Station Jim underwent a meticulous restoration at the Museum of English Rural Life. Specialists also created a new cabinet, complete with a banquette reupholstered using vintage railway fabric sourced from Didcot Railway Centre. A QR code on the cabinet will now allow visitors to continue donating to the Samaritans.

Joe Graham, GWR Business Assurance Director, said:

“Station Jim has charmed visitors to Slough station for generations and we’re pleased to have helped restore him to his former glory. We’re extremely proud of the work we do within our communities and have listened to the wishes of our customers and colleagues to ensure Station Jim is returned to his forever home.”

Anna Jones, Museums Partnership Reading Programme Manager, added:

“We’ve been delighted to work with Great Western Railway, and for the support of Arts Council England and the Aldama Foundation, to complete this unique restoration project. Station Jim is very much a part of the fabric of Slough station, and we’re going to be celebrating his story and the town’s railway heritage by launching a programme of community engagement in 2026.”

Tim Knox CVO, on behalf of the Aldama Foundation, said:

“The Aldama Foundation is pleased and proud to be part of the consortium that funded the rescue and conservation of ‘Station Jim’, a lovable canine curiosity that has amused and puzzled travellers on Platform 5 of Slough’s magnificent Victorian station since 1896. What is more, we are pleased that he is going back to where he belongs, and what he does best, raising funds for local charities.”

Image: Great Western Railay