Railwayana

[WRENNEIRE]

Spot the non originals

Experience is the key to railwayana, you need to handle them, an odd lick does no harm either

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bottom one is kosher

 

 

 

 

 

And finally:

 

 

[minister_for_hardship]

How does one confirm the authenticity of various pieces, particularly signs, which seem to turn up from time to time. It's hard to be sure that they are the genuine item or something that somebody has just cast a week ago

 

Any variant of the rectangular gate notice of the format 'NOTICE Any person leaving this gate open is liable to a penalty of forty shillings' that isn't headed either GS&WR/GSR/WD&LR is 100% a fake.

 

It should be reasonably easy to find genuine GSWR gate notices, since so many were made. The GSR ones were probably replacements for broken/missing ones or for new sets of farm crossing gates installed post '25 so hen's teeth numbers survived. WD&LR ones only on the former Waterford Dungarvan and Lismore so very small quantities cast and also harder to find, font was a bit different to the GSWR type so that's one way of telling a WD&LR fake.

 

Irregular fonts and crappy casting with air holes and inclusions are indicators a sign may have originated from the Orient rather than closer to home...although I have seen genuine wagon plates badly cast or with letters/numbers the wrong way round or upside down as they would be less particular about those as opposed to a notice intended for the public.

 

The DN&GR trespass notice fail above carries the name of the GS&WR secretary and references the 1903 GS&WR Act.

Edited February 6, 2017 by minister_for_hardship

[Noel]

Any variant of the rectangular gate notice of the format 'NOTICE Any person leaving this gate open is liable to a penalty of forty shillings' that isn't headed either GS&WR/GSR/WD&LR is 100% a fake. . .

 

Not strictly railwayana but I spotted this sign off the old Fenit railway track bed. No mention of a fine, but the consequences would be pretty self evident. Beautiful part of the world. What a tourism boost it might have been nowadays if it was still linked to Tralee and Killarney even by a single powered coach.

 

[DiveController]

Thanks for that, lads. I realized the bottom LNER was probablely genuine but the CB&PR is a fake too? I'd be happy with a GS&WR one just to have a little something:)

[minister_for_hardship]

but the CB&PR is a fake too?

 

As genuine as a €3 note.

 

There are some really stupid ones out there...saw one headed 'M.C.W.R.' and another 'C.I.E.R.' (sic.) for sale in various markets. As long as people keep buying this rubbish there will be a market. It's fine if you pay a little over scrap metal value for a novelty for your garden, but there will always be people trying to pass them off as the real thing to the unsuspecting.

 

British railwayana is a minefield, signs with simulated rust and railway clocks made in India that only experts (and not general antiques trade) can tell fake from original.

Edited February 7, 2017 by minister_for_hardship

[WRENNEIRE]

Some kosher ones

 

Wagon Plates

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dunluce Castle]

They are from the Stafford railway auction, did you buy any? I think the BCDR and UTA one went for far too much, and yes I did try and bid.

[jhb171achill]

The UTA one is quite rare, as they (a) didn't build that much, and (b) didn't put plates on everything. Even more so, "rebuild" plates were rare enough, and even more so in a place which wasn't a "works" - like Ballymena. I wouldn't be surprised if that is almost, or literally, a one-off.

Edited February 7, 2017 by jhb171achill

[minister_for_hardship]

The UTA one is quite rare, as they (a) didn't build that much, and (b) didn't put plates on everything.

 

It's a 'rebuild' plate, a scarcer category I imagine?

[jhb171achill]

It's a 'rebuild' plate, a scarcer category I imagine?

 

VERY much so!

[WRENNEIRE]

Correct Nelson

Put in a load of bids and heard nothing back from them

[minister_for_hardship]

[WRENNEIRE]

Cracker Minister

A south coaster

Is it yours?

[minister_for_hardship]

Yes.

Only the face and wooden surround are original survivors, the rest had to be sourced and rebuilt. Makers were Tameside Clock Co.

Have only seen marked GNRI clocks and know that marked GS&WR clocks existed, know of one that was saved...never saw it in the flesh.

 

Examining the O'Dea collection of signal cabin interiors, it seems that the GS&W marked some of their clocks, the Midland looked like they used unmarked domestic-looking drop dial clocks with an octagonal surround rather than the usual fusée type.

Edited February 9, 2017 by minister_for_hardship

[WRENNEIRE]

There was a restaurant in Malahide called Breakers

They had a stunning GNR(I) clock with Malahide on the face

Restaurant closed and no sign of the clock

Owners name was Goggins, dont remember his first name

[DiveController]

Where does one acquire these little artifacts from time to time?

[jhb171achill]

They come up for auction now and again. Keep an eye on the Sheffield Railway Auction, and the Gloucester one. About once a year, Whytes in Dublin do an "ephemera" auction, with anything from old coins or clothes to railway stuff.

[Dunluce Castle]

Sorry a bit late but here's two more,

LMS NCC gate notice

And this builders plate which belongs to dad.

[jhb171achill]

What's the provenance of the "Ticket Office" one, Nelson? Is it NIR?

[minister_for_hardship]

[WRENNEIRE]

Wow!

The rare C.I.E.R. Sign!

Nice find Minister

£20?

 

Meanwhile some very nice real ones again from the Stafford Auction

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jhb171achill]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]26847[/ATTACH]

 

An unusually ghastly forgery!!!! Those standard GSWR signs seem to get quite a few company initials variations. The T & D had them. Any others (and there are lots) that I've come across are duds, but this one just about takes the biscuit! Is the seller trying to pass it off as real?

[WRENNEIRE]

Mala Mala

 

 

[roxyguy]

Forgot about this

[Garfield]

Not Irish, but may be of interest to some...

 

I have a keen interest in French railways and recently picked this up:

 

 

It's a numberplate from a SNCF Y7100 class 'locotracteur' (shunter). The name 'Longeau' at the top refers to the depot it was assigned to.

[Dunluce Castle]

Hello all!

 

Thanks to everyone contributing to this thread, it's really rather interesting to see what's out there and there are some real nice things.

 

My collection is slowly growing with the addition of these two heavy pieces, they were both found one day while I was out and about on the beach. So took them home and cleaned them up, the GNR one wasn't in too bad of a condition, it only required some wire brushing and removal of some rust. The only downside is that one corner is broken, but it doesn't bother me really. Dad did the painting on both as he likes doing this sort of salvaging.

 

This one is a complete mystery to me, it's obviously missing more than half which is a pity, and the rail company is probably on the missing half, but I cannot figure out the company or even the aproximate date, would anyone have any ideas?

 

Thanks,

Nelson

[DiveController]

Nice, Nelson. Not sure they've looked like that in a very long time...

[jhb171achill]

First pics: GNR(I) chair. These were produced in this form from about 1900-1953. The letters "A F" are A^^^^^ Foundry.

 

Second pics: one half of a curved-ended MR(NCC) chair, early 20th C onwards to about 1945.

Edited June 21, 2017 by jhb171achill

[Dunluce Castle]

Oh wow thanks JB, Would never have thought that it would be MR NCC.

[Garfield]

Another recent addition, once again French rather than Irish:

 

 

It's an enamel platform nameboard for a station called St Hilare sur Garonne (now known as St Hilare de Lusignan), which closed in the early 1970s.

 

Here's a view of the station as it is now on Google Street View:

 

It's located roughly halfway between Bordeaux and Toulouse...

[WRENNEIRE]

Latest one for the man cave

Big heavy yoke

 

 

r 

[GNRi1959]

I saw a lot of this sort of stuff at a car boot sale in Castlebar, Sunday morning past. 

[jhb171achill]

In addition to "bewaring of trains", one must beware of fakes these days, especially the standard GSWR square gate notice against trespassing, for which many fake variations seem to be available.

[WRENNEIRE]

Its kosher, will stick up a pic of the back when the sun comes out again

 

[WRENNEIRE]