The stuff we collect. What have you got in your railway memorabilia collection?

[jonny777]

I have a distant signal arm from the M&GN. Of course, because it looks like thousands of other distant arms, only I know which lines' long grass it was taken without permission rescued from. I also have an M&GN do not trespass sign, but that was given to me legit, because a relative bought the land after closure and most of the signs at farm crossings were still in situ, so he prized it from the post and gave it to me.

 

I have many other bits and pieces, but my strangest item is most of a large bar of soap (about the size of a house brick) stamped LNER, which seems to have come from Rotherham Central and was given to me by my father, because I "like unusual railway things". He was given it by his uncle who worked at the station, but no one seems to know why. Maybe he thought he needed a good wash?

[Rugd1022]

Found the larger piece over 40 years ago in some long grass;  the smaller section was still attached to the loco.

.

I'll let you all investigate which loco, and where.

.

Brian R

 

Quick guess Brian... D6122 of Dai Woodhams fame...?

[Baby Deltic]

 

A notice fitted to 45001 whilst running Experiment DL/497.

[Baby Deltic]

Found the larger piece over 40 years ago in some long grass;  the smaller section was still attached to the loco.

.

I'll let you all investigate which loco, and where.

.

Brian R

Works No. 27851 is D6121. IF that plate was discovered at Barry, it probably answers the long debated question once and for all about whether it was D6121 or D6122 scrapped at Barry. Unless, of course, an entire cab from D6121 was fitted to D6122 and the works plate came from that.......

Edited September 19, 2013 by Baby Deltic

[DavidR]

I've got a cast pannier tank number plate(8796). Two GW signal arms: one stop, one distant (bought from Reading Signal Works for 1.50 the pair!), a suitcase full of timetables from the BR era. A 1954 Bradshaw, some blank wagon labels from the Shropshire & Montgomeryshire Rly. (found in the demolished remains of Crossgates station), a BR pattern vacuum gauge (bought for 2.50 from TAG Models, in Doncaster), and a collection of GW tickets.

On the continental side: I have a carriage board from Poland, for the 'Varsovia' (Berlin - Warsaw)train. This was given to me by someone in Gt. Yarmouth! Goodness knows how he got it!

The more I start to list this stuff, the more I think some of it should be moved from the shed!

[mswjr]

A littlle story, A mate i once worked with was nuts about steam locos,He lived as a boy somewhere in london, He and his friend pinched some LNER tender plates the brass ones,When he got home his mum was not to pleased so she chucked them in the river, so they still got to be there.

 Garry

[big jim]

ive got the depot sign from chaddesden from my time at fastline

 

my dad has a fair bit of stuff, cambrian railway bench, lnwr boundry post

 

when c.c.crumps moved from connahs quay i picked up various chairs (track holding variety) including lner, lms, gwr and even a WM&CQRly one (wrexham mold and connahs quay railway) unfortunatly we scrapped the points throws which included creat central weighted ones

[br2975]

Works No. 27851 is D6121. IF that plate was discovered at Barry, it probably answers the long debated question once and for all about whether it was D6121 or D6122 scrapped at Barry. Unless, of course, an entire cab from D6121 was fitted to D6122 and the works plate came from that.......

 

Well there's a mystery solved because the works plate definitely came from D6122 whilst it was at Woodham Bros. West Pond site in Barry Docks.

.

I kicked a piece of alloy, bent down to see what it was and was amazed to find it was most of the NBL diamond builders plate - so I wandered over to the locos, found D6122 and there was the smaller section of the plate still affixed to the cab side.

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Having levered off the smaller piece, it can be seen from the photo they fitted together perfectly.

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So, to summarise, D6122 must have received a cab from D6121.

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Brian R

[winterbournecm]

I knew I am unlikely to ever own a diesel loco, so I obtained some controls from various locos over the last 15 years, all legitimately too! I have the power controllers and brake handles from a class 37, 47 & 56. 

 

 

 

[PhilH]

Sort of memorabilia...castings for a full size Bulleid whistle.

 

Machining them is one of 6078 retirement projects I have planned....

 

 

 

[Artless Bodger]

On 17/07/2013 at 08:42, Southernman46 said:

The one thing I'd like is the "Zero" Midland Railway milepost at the south end of Derby station as it represents the spiritual heart of the system.

 

or a Concrete SR PWay hut..........................

 

The one thing I missed was the L&SWR railway "Cross the line by the footbridge sign" from the platform 9 wall at Clapham Jn (it went AWOL during a track renewal in 2004).

 

I have....................

 

Every platform ticket I've ever bought since 1972,

 

Bits of paper from all kinds of place - especially those long paper train destination lists that are amazingly still stuck in coach windows (simple ideas always work).

 

A beautiful brass L&SWR mercury rail temperature thermometer bequeathed to me by my Track Section Manager at Woking when he retired.

 

A 6ft length of broad gauge era "Barlow" rail (not that common old Brunel bridge rail stuff that you can find everywhere !) recovered from Bramley on the Reading - Basingstoke line.

 

A 1935 SR bullhead & a 1918 LSWR bullhead rail chair.

 

A near perfect enamel "Danger Don't touch Conductor Rails" recovered from a PW hut near Hook (Bournemouth electrification) but I suspect is older (enamel in 1967 ??)

 

Rail fixings of all descriptions - the Jackdaw in me has a weakness for the different coloured Pandrol clips !

 

5 SR concrete mileposts (including one for the house number at the end of the drive) - all were broken off during the "blue diamond" scheme and it seemed rude not to recover them.

 

2 SR concrete division/area boundary markers - both perfectly good pieces of in-situ lineside memorabilia until the track renewal contractor broke the post on both - another rescue effort !

 

LSWR cast iron boundary marker........................have a GWR one in my sights

Just found this after a search for Barlow Rails, was your Barlow rail one of about 4 lengths covering a manhole or drain sump just off the country end of the up platform? I used to see them every day on the way to work. Some years later on the train again I saw they'd gone and wondered if they had gone to a museum (hopefully), if someone had recognised them for what they were. Glad to know at least one still exists. Some gate posts in Bristol harbour around the old gas works look like two lengths riveted flange to flange.

[Southernman46]

On 16/07/2020 at 00:10, Artless Bodger said:

Just found this after a search for Barlow Rails, was your Barlow rail one of about 4 lengths covering a manhole or drain sump just off the country end of the up platform? I used to see them every day on the way to work. Some years later on the train again I saw they'd gone and wondered if they had gone to a museum (hopefully), if someone had recognised them for what they were. Glad to know at least one still exists. Some gate posts in Bristol harbour around the old gas works look like two lengths riveted flange to flange.

No - but I know where you are referring to ........ they  were used quite a lot for deep catchpit covers on the line. Mine was lying loose in the Down cess about 10 chains Reading side ..................... redundant "fence posts"

[w124bob]

I've got my letter of transfer from Coalville as a 2nd man to a driving vacancy at Orpington April '83, and my Manchester Victoria traction card. Also buried somewhere in the attic is the original advert from the Leicester Mercury for recruiting Drivers Assistants at Coalville from around May '78 along with my first wage slip. I've got various Coalville open day mugs, at Vic we had mugs, ties and badges for the "Victoria Vulture Squadron" so plenty of those. Here is my traction card 

 

 

[Trog]

Is some of this stuff not getting a bit far from the hobby of collecting rails?

[Dagworth]

Something slightly different from me, I wonder who has Key B?

 

 

Andi

[Market65]

Here’s a telegraph pole insulator, marked LNER from Kipling Cotes, between Beverley and Market Weighton, which was obtained quite some years ago now. 
 

 

Regards,

 

Rob.

[smithlington smithe]

A B.R (M) 4 aspect signalman railway lamp,I believe they were known as a ‘foggy’,so I’ve been told anyway.I think the (M) stands for Midland.

 

 

 

[Enterprisingwestern]

On 19/07/2020 at 15:21, Dagworth said:

Something slightly different from me, I wonder who has Key B?

 

 

Andi

 

Spelt K E Y N S H A M.

 

Mike.

[didcot]

Got these in the back garden. An Ebay steal about 15 years ago. Came from Westbury North. I would have seen them as a child whilst visiting my grandparents. My great grandfather was a driver out of Westbury shed as well. I have his flare lamp.

 

 

[TheQ]

An M&GN Receipts Book from Melton Constable, it includes receipts for repairs to Breydon bridge and wagon loads of coal.

 

My Grandfathers GWR Pass. oh and a GWR wartime Service badge.

Edited July 21, 2020 by TheQ