Railwayana
Uniform collection
GWR Porter's jacket
The first item of uniform we added to our collection was this GWR porter's jacket, or sleeved waistcoat, complete with original GWR buttons. It is of of unknown origin and date, but possibly from the 1930s, and it looks almost unused. At about the same time we found the old mannequin which would have once been used to display clothes in a shop window so it was an ideal way to display the jacket. For a bit more atmosphere we also added a heavy silver watch chain with a pocket watch in the left hand pocket, ready to check the time for the next train.
Old GWR cap
This old and very well worn soft cap is the second uniform item that we came across. The seller said that it came from the GWR and that there was a story behind it, but sadly we never got to learn what that was. The small peak and overall design of the cap suggests that it could date to as far back as the 1860s. One visitor thought that the picture of an engine on the button associated it with the Taff Vale Railway rather than the Great Western Railway. This company became a part of the GWR on 1st January 1922. We'd love to hear from any reader who may have any ideas about the possible origin of this cap.
Heavy GWR jacket
This short coat or jacket is very heavy and so would have helped to keep the wearer warm on cold winter days out on the platform. It retains the original GWR brass buttons and has a red embroidered cloth GWR roundel on the right lapel which helps to date the item as belonging to the latter period of the GWR, sometime between the mid 1930s and 1940s.
BR Signalman's jacket
We are not too sure whether this is a BR or GWR period signalman's jacket ,or sleeved waistcoat, as the style varied little over many years. It certainly looks similar to that worn by the signalman in an interior photograph of the original signal box at Culham in the Pendon Museum archive. That photograph is undated but it is felt to date from GWR days. The buttons are not brass as with our other jackets but are black, and we are not sure whether this would have been the case in GWR days. Perhaps a reader can help us out here.
Station Master's cap
This cap is a modern item and looks to have been hardly worn, if at all. It serves as a representative item of its type and would have been seen at stations over a period of many years. These items are still being produced as they remain popular on heritage and preserved railways all over the country. Before this design was introduced these hats would have been of a more formal 'pill-box' design with a tassle on top. Examples of these sometimes appear on sale but are always too expensive for us to consider buying. As a mark of their status, Station Masters at very large stations could also be seen wearing top hats and frock coats. We do have another cap in our collection which is almost identical to this one. Although it is very obviously much older and well worn we feel that it dates from well after GWR days.
Guard's cap
Another modern item which looks to have been hardly worn. This cap was once owned by a volunteer on the Gloucester Warwickshire Railway and so is definitely a modern item. There was no indication as to the previous owner of this cap, nor what rôle they played on the railway, but we think they may have been a volunteer guard. There is provision for a badge to be fastened to the front of the cap through the reinforced hole seen in the picture, but in this example the cap has two slits cut in it through which a badge was obviously once fixed instead. Whilst the cap is much less ornate that that above, the ribbon is very decorative.
Brass GWR cap badge
This brass cap badge comprises the initials G W R soldered onto a brass bar which has two eyes on the back through which is a long brass split pin. Its age and origin are unknown although it has been suggested that it dates from the early 1900s.
The collection also holds a number of loose brass GWR buttons from different periods and in a variety of styles.
