The Rail Enthusiast thread

[Mike_P]

Is that the 'Atlantic' next to Green Arrow?

One of them, the enlarged Atlantic of 1902
There is also preserved 990 Henry Oakley of 1898 which was the first Atlantic in the country.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

One of them, the enlarged Atlantic of 1902
There is also preserved 990 Henry Oakley of 1898 which was the first Atlantic in the country.

Thanks, I thought I recognised it.

 

[Hover Fly]

One of them, the enlarged Atlantic of 1902
There is also preserved 990 Henry Oakley of 1898 which was the first Atlantic in the country.

which I sit next to at work.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Ok guys, I posted this elsewhere on the forum, but can we identify all of the depots in this (admittedly incomplete) image of the old Depot Plaques?

I know most, but others I have forgotten about and of the first row, I only really know 'Crewe Diesel' (CD) with the Cheshire Cat and the Bescot (BS) Saddle next to it.
I see others like the Motherwell (ML) Hammer And Anvil and the last one is Stewarts Lane (SL), depicting Battersea Power Station (Toton (TO) is the Cooling Towers on the same line, with the Stratford Cockney Sparrow in between, incidentally).

Anyway, other than Plymouth Laira (LA), with it's sailing ship at the end of the second row, what were the other boats and what the heck is that one with the flame? I know I should know it, but, alas... ☺️😆

 

[T4tomo]

Anyway, other than Plymouth Laira (LA), with it's sailing ship at the end of the second row, what were the other boats and what the heck is that one with the flame? I know I should know it, but, alas... ☺️😆

http://www.collecting-railwayana.co.uk/DepotPlaques.html

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

http://www.collecting-railwayana.co.uk/DepotPlaques.html

Thanks!

I think I tried to see that site previously, but it didn't work for some reason. 🙄

Anyway, Ripple Lane (Essex... Ish) for the flame... How did I forget that?

 

[BrumJim]

Thanks!

I think I tried to see that site previously, but it didn't work for some reason. 🙄

Anyway, Ripple Lane (Essex... Ish) for the flame... How did I forget that?

Some strange anomalies there. Why is Saltley a seagull? Saltley is just down the road from me, and used to go through the area on the way to work. We are about as far away from the sea as it is possible to get (Meriden doesn't have a depot).

Also Carlisle Currock appears to have pinched Leicestershire's fox, leaving Leicester depot with a tiger / panther. Panther? No. Tiger? There was a Leicester regiment (and still is a rugby team) nicknamed the Tigers, but other than that, no real connection with Leicester.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

http://www.collecting-railwayana.co.uk/DepotPlaques.html

Just realised that even that list is not quite complete as Aylesbury had Ducks/Geese and although I may be wrong, I still have a weird feeling that Hornsey (North London) had one.

Barrow Hill roundhouse, now a museum, created their own a few years back and it simply depicts the roundhouse with the tracks. It's not exactly a 'looker', but it isn't the real BR thing anyway, so never mind.

I have no doubt that some other preservation groups and places have, or will, create their own 'Homages' in the future.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I haven't even seen most of those. I think the Scottie/Westie was Haymarket ahd the mill wheel was Peak forest/Buxton, but the rest were new or mysterious even though I lived fairly close to Walsall shed at the time.

 

[rogerzilla]

The most famous ones are probably the stag and Scottie dog, having been painted VERY LARGE on class 37 locos.

The Laira ship was on a lot of Class 50s, although it was a small plate.

 

[Andy in Germany]

The most famous ones are probably the stag and Scottie dog, having been painted VERY LARGE on class 37 locos.

The Laira ship was on a lot of Class 50s, although it was a small plate.

My impression was that the scottie was the original but that may be my childhood perception.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I haven't even seen most of those. I think the Scottie/Westie was Haymarket ahd the mill wheel was Peak forest/Buxton, but the rest were new or mysterious even though I lived fairly close to Walsall shed at the time.

The Scottie was Eastfield, Glasgow. The locos covered the West Highland Line, hence the West Highland Terrier.
They were originally meant to be a small moulded thing that was attached to the loco sides, but it was thought they would just be stolen.
Haymarket was a Castle, i.e. Edinburgh Castle.
Buxton was the Mill Wheel, yes.

It's in the link!

My impression was that the scottie was the original but that may be my childhood perception.

I am not sure what the first one was, but certainly the Stratford Cockney Sparrow was an early one and Stratford started painting the Sparrow in the '70s' in an unofficial capacity.

Glasgow Shields Road had the Salmon (look up St Mungo) (the Salmon is not in the link), which was painted onto the 'Roarers'. That was an early one and can be seen in pictures back in the early 80s and the testing of the APT.
Shields later adopted the Cuneo Mouse.

As said above, many originated as unofficial emblems painted on by staff. Tynsley in Sheffield were quite prolific for this with their White Rose, as well as hand painted unofficial names.

You have now interested me as to what was actually first!

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I tell a lie, Motherwell also used the Salmon too, which means it was used by more than one Glasgow depot at one point, presumably before official emblems were adopted.

Motherwell later used the Hammer and Anvil to reflect the areas steel making heritage.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

As for the Salmon, we School kids in the west of Scotland were all taught this.
St Mungo is the Patron Saint of Glasgow:

​

Miracles​

In the Life of Saint Mungo, he performed four miracles in Glasgow. The following verse is used to remember Mungo's four miracles:

Here is the bird that never flew
Here is the tree that never grew
Here is the bell that never rang
Here is the fish that never swam[9]

The verses refer to the following:

• The Bird: Mungo restored life to a robin that had been killed by some of his classmates.[6]
• The Tree: Mungo had been left in charge of a fire in Saint Serf's monastery. He fell asleep and the fire went out. Taking a hazel branch, he restarted the fire.[10]
• The Bell: the bell is thought to have been brought by Mungo from Rome. It was said to have been used in services and to mourn the dead. The original bell no longer exists, and a replacement, created in the 1640s, is now on display in Glasgow.
• The Fish: refers to the story about Queen Languoreth of Strathclyde who was suspected of infidelity by her husband. King Riderch demanded to see her ring, which he claimed she had given to her lover. In reality the King had thrown it into the River Clyde. Faced with execution she appealed for help to Mungo, who ordered a messenger to catch a fish in the river. On opening the fish, the ring was miraculously found inside, which allowed the Queen to clear her name. (This story may be confused with an almost identical one concerning King Maelgwn of Gwynedd and Saint Asaph.)

Of course, the St Mungo story caused some confusion in School, because of course the bird flew, the tree grew, the bell rang and the fish swam! 😆

So, he fell asleep whilst looking after a fire... Is that not negligence? Also, unless the Hazel branch spontaneously combusted or Hazel is monumentally crap as firewood... So what?

Oh and bringing back a bell from Rome? Big whoopdeedoo! I guess it was just such a massive undertaking at the time and it was blessed by the Pope and stuff though.

 

[Spartak]

On top of the Acropolis... 🇬🇷👍