Author Greg Norden, of Bugbrooke, was handed the abandoned prints by a railway worker in the 1970s, but kept them under his bed for years before using them to create Landscapes Under The Luggage Rack, which is now in its second edition with another planned.

The book's success led to the art lover and former railway planner being asked to supply some of the original paintings for the carriage scenes in the 2001 wartime code breaker film Enigma, starring Kate Winslet.

Mr Norden, 52, said: "They even wanted one specially commissioned for the film, which turned out to be central to the film's plot.

"The original prints were given to me in the 1970s, by a railway worker who salvaged them from a skip, but I just kept them under my bed for years.

"When I became ill with ME, I began to do some research to find out what artists produced the work. Researching the book has been therapeutic and a chance to do something I would not normally have a chance to do."

The author said a lifelong love of watercolour paintings had been an inspiration for the book, which was nominated for the McColvin Medal when published in 1997.

He said: "Leading watercolour artists in the 1930s to the late 1960s were commissioned to paint the scenic posters to brighten up carriages and to encourage people to use trains for day trips and holidays around the UK.

They stopped being used in the early 1970s, because they were being vandalised and were fading."

The book and reproductions of the paintings can be obtained by visiting: www. carriageprints.com or by calling 0845 833 301.