Donation
of railway carriage prints.
On Sunday 13 September Mr. John Leach a
visitor that day, donated to the museum some framed railway carriage prints of Cuthbert
Hamilton Ellis paintings. John had "liberated them" himself from withdrawn carriages to be broken up many years ago. Today these are considered of some value and have been recorded
as accessioned items by Jaki Collison.
What is striking is how diverse the railway
scene was in earlier times. It is to be hoped that o at a future date displayed for the appreciation of a
wider public. Railways were so much more varied in earlier times, something the museum can demonstrate today, no mono-culture of multiple units, steam locomotives of hundreds of designs and similarly coaches and wagons of every conceivable type
An example of one of the donated items, this pertinent to our area of interest:
Behind the
locomotive is a "Birdcage" passenger brake coach, an example that the museum has restored in Platform 5. This was
built in 1870, like the illustration’s noted date, and came from North Woolwich
station museum that closed in July 2008 (SVS143 p12)
A second example, visually attractive because of its bright yellow colours, is a personal favourite reminding me of an attractive spot in the Peak District – Wetton Mill. There were others but they were packed away quickly and there is a need to see them again so they can be appreciated. Maybe some (suitably theft and UV protected) inserted into carriage print frames or displayed in a coach setting.
