Nameplates..Missed opportunities


		In 1962, I was offered, and took, a post with a manufacturing company in Birmingham. I got on well with one of the directors, who was responsible for production. I will refer to him as TFW. TWF's principal interest, outside work, was Shipping. Particularly Royal Navy and Merchant Navy. And every so often he would visit Naval dockyards, on the lookout for memorabilia. And in 1965, in Scotland, he came across a number of condemned Stanier Pacifics, and realized that there was also the potential for collecting Railway memorabilia. Shortly afterwards, the firm's delivery vehicle suddenly found it's itineraries including such places as Swindon, Crewe, and Doncaster. Sadly there were few deliveries to the south of England, so Eastleigh did not feature.

		One afternoon in 1965, TFW came into my office (which was next door to his) and invited me to have a look what Archie (the Van Driver) had collected during the week. And so I followed him to the transport bay, where a number of name and number plates were in evidence. Thought you might like these two, TWF announced. And he showed me a cabside plate from King class no 6023, and a nameplate from B17 class 4-6-0 "Gayton Hall". Would I like 6023 for £12, and/or Gayton Hall for £25? Yes please!. And so my journey home that evening included two extra items in my car boot. In fact I had travelled behind 6023 from Paddington to Taunton in 1958, and a splendid run on Gayton Hall featured in O S Nock's "Locomotives of Sir Nigel Gresley" on the 2.32am Marylebone to Leicester.

		By this time I was recently married, and living in a pleasant top floor flat near to Solihull. This was a short term measure, pending the completion of the construction of the house that we had contracted to purchase, close to Tamworth. And so space was at a premium. And I had decided that if I was offered any more plates, I would have to decline. And the very next offer was spectacular. A set of 8 nameplates, one from each named Gresley Class V2..(1) Green Arrow..(2) The Snapper, The East Yorkshire Regiment, The Duke of York's own..(3) The Green Howard Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment..(4) St Peter's School York,A.D.627..(5) Durham School (6) King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (7) Coldstreamer..(8) The Durham Light Infantry. At £25 each! With no space available, I had to decline. And shortly afterwards I left the company in Birmingham, to pursue my career elsewhere.

		And a few years later, 1971 I think, I disposed of the 6023 and Gayton Hall plates which had been gathering dust in a garden shed. But I made a good profit. They went for £125 and £40. Well, I thought it was a good profit then. Oh for a time machine!

		Thirty years later, I purchased some wooden replica nameplates. The first was "Novelty" (45733) to remind me of that fantastic evening in the early 1960's on the Lickey. Next was "Haileybury" (30924), the first Schools I travelled behind. Then "Sir John Hawkins" (30865), the first Nelson, "Sir Brian" (30782) A footplate ride at Eastleigh shed in 1960, 34050 "Royal Observer Corps (34050), a fantastic climb to Evershot summit in 1962, Ashey (28), a journey on the Isle of Wight in 1965, and lastly "Lady Patricia" (46210), to appease the wife. These were originally intended for my Model Railway room. But that is now a Computer Room, so the plates are in storage.