Elephants and Eggs

The new family trail leaflet includes photos of an egg transit label and an elephant – here is a little bit more detail about why railways had an association with those items.

 Displayed on the museum’s cattle dock there is a photo showing the loading of the Chipperfield Circus elephants 1961. Incidentally the goods conveyance “Rate Book” in the booking office there is evidence of how much actually cost per mile to transport elephants, and indeed many other wild animal; that’s something always highlighted in during guided tours.

 Illustrated below is a herd of elephants proceeding along Crouch Street Colchester, on this occasion this was a visit from “Buffalo Bill's Wild West show” in September 1903.

Three trains were required to transport the circus which comprised 800 performers Sioux Indians, Plains Cowboys, Russian Cossacks and 500 horses which climaxed in a demonstration of horsemanship and shooting role playing an attack on the Deadwood Stage (coach).

 As a contrast from large objects –  small objects carried by rail include distribution of eggs. This was a commodity often carried by passenger trains in the guard’s compartment, as were live chicks. Eggs were one of the products promoted Great Eastern Railway – for it had prepared a demonstration train to boost the local farming economy and help more self-sufficiency and no doubt a prospect of greater railway profits.

 Found in a hundred year old magazine ( in the Museum Archive -Railway Magazine July 1920) was a description of such a train. After the upheaval of the First World War an ambulance train ( shown in the Heritage Centre on a roll-up display panel) was converted into a “Poultry and  Small Stock Demonstration train”. This was partly because the quantities of poultry and eggs imported to Great Britain were disrupted one of the principal sources had been reportedly cut off by the Revolution in Russia.

 

Three cars were used for demonstrations, plus a dining car for the use of demonstrators in lecturers, and a composite brake van exhibited a collection of livestock and the latest approved agricultural appliances. 

Experts were on hand to give further guidance and information regarding poultry, bees, rabbits, goats, cheese making, bottling and canning in fruits, and allotment gardening. A tour of East Anglia followed calling at many local stations including St Botolph’s Colchester, Sudbury, Clacton, Chelmsford, Braintree and Bishops Stortford together with another 29 others.

Phil Ainsley 26 06 20 

For returning families - a new activity Family Trial.

When families return to visit the museum, they will now have the opportunity to follow a new EARM activity Family Trail. This welcome addition has been produced to self- guide visitors; it is a co-operation between Catherine Harrison the museum’s Marketing Manager, and commercial design illustration photography from Sarah Hayes. 

Catherine is seen here displaying the leaflet in front of this year’s marketing notices in front of a re-vamped Chappel arrival display board. Of course due to the pandemic  most events have been cancelled, but not to be dismayed – this Family Trail has been produced to assist in the first phase of reopening, that is static viewing of the museum. 

Its design is a double sided pictorial diagram, folded into 16 panels; items of interest are highlighted by nine number destinations. It is intended to be an optional extra offered to visitors so engaging whole family. It challenges younger visitors to LOOK, FIND and DO with added FACTS being shown. Actions suggested are taking selfies and to operate signal levers in the original signal box.

The pictorial design is in very a effective child sketch style, interspersed with photographs. It brings to attention some of the smaller features around site which often people overlook.

Being a design that is family and child orientated, there are many references of animals; cats, mice, elephants and rabbits are featured. It asks about telling the time, and where you might buy sweets? If the trail is followed and tick boxes completed – there’s a treat for a child and a hot drink offered for adults by way of a voucher for Platform 2 café.

Visitors will be encouraged to talk to “engineer”, in reality anyone with a reasonable grasp of railway technology can reply – you don’t need a B Tech qualification or a degree to answer a question, so don’t be shy folks. One of our strong points, if not unique selling points is that we do ask people to look inside our Restoration Shed, in this way we share our interest with visitors.

Our commercial partner in this production is Sara Hayes; the link below takes you to her web site.

http://www.thepublicartcompany.co.uk/portfolio/world-war-two-trails/

This link highlights the local World War Trail, a walking trail describing the importance of Wakes Colne as a location in the defence of the realm. It can also be seen in the first photograph on the left hand side of our signboard. Sara has been working with local authorities in Essex publicising the advantages of walking and pointing out local history.

Initially the leaflet has a print run of 1000, the insert photo shows a portion of it – but get hold a real copy to enjoy its full content. In time it can be reviewed and experience will tell us how to develop it, so congratulations again to Catherine and Sara on producing what could be a best seller.

21 06 20

Slave traders, the felling of a statue, and steam railways !

There has been much recent controversy about Edward Colston; he was a slave trader whose statue was torn down in Bristol recently. I propose that there may be a link, based on historical significance, to steam railways. 

It’s a bit contentious, a little bit of time travel, but what you think?

Debate on both sides has been fairly heated what is relevant, history or today’s concerns. Historical people or subjects have been then judged on the standards applying today in the 21st century. What’s more the “conversation” or “debate” about the statues felling has continued on Twitter, or other electronic and unattributed electronic means.  Surely it's a matter of relative rights and wrongs when considering historical events.

So what’s the steam railway connection?  

It’s similar in the sense that burning coal the fossil fuel powering an industrial revolution is nowadays considered a bad thing, as is slave trading. You may be aware that there have been two months of generated electricity without coal. 

Judging Steam railways as outdated, coal as a dirty and unfavourable fuel is using 21st century standards. In a historical perspective coal was right; it would seem that even slave traders boosted trade, and made some charitable donations.

Railways were built to transport coal, now that’s not necessary. However coal is still needed to meet the demand for both the steel industry and heritage railways. We should try not to import supplies, that’s not very green, perhaps there is a need to open a drift coal mine in the forest of Dean, a preserved coal mine ?

You may ask what the relevance this is to the museum?

Steam railways may be an anachronism, but it's one that some of us enjoys, learn skills, socialise and present events for the enjoyment of our visitors. A museum can contrast the past with the present- maybe you can then project your mind into the future guided by the past. Slave Traders to modern icons, steam railways to clean fuels.

Edward Colston’s statue is being fished out of the docks and to be placed in the excellent Bristol Museum, so museums have a purpose, as indeed does our steam railway.