AJG3
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Last one I saw was in April 1988 on the G&SWR; I cannot recall exactly, but think it was either at Stewarton or Dunlop.
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Trivia: Last BR totems in situ?
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EssexGonzo
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What's a BR totem?
Ash Bridge
Established Member
One of these....
Attachments
That’s nice.
Ash Bridge
Established Member
I wish it was!If that's yours I may do you a swap Mr Cowley
I doubt there are many "originals" in situ at stations as most will now be adorning the walls of enthusiasts houses up and down the country.
Ash Bridge
Established Member
I doubt there are many "originals" in situ at stations as most will now be adorning the walls of enthusiasts houses up and down the country.
I'm saying nothing
Peter Mugridge
Veteran Member
There's some at places like Barnstaple, but I suspect they are recently manufactured replicas so they probably don't count...?
Killingworth
Established Member
As others have said a lot of stations have totems but nearly all are modern imitations. I know two of the totems removed from my local station still exist in private ownership. I understand some station friends groups have located and put back originals. In view of their value to collectors I'd not expect many, probably any, more originals to be replaced.
have I got the colours right?
pale blue - scottish
maroon - London midland
Green - southern
NE - browney red
Western purple
I know southern EMU's were green. did other regions have regional liveries on carriages?
BTW, it wasnt only totems that were in regional colours. all signage matched.
Were there any totem signs for other than station names on platforms?
pale blue - scottish
maroon - London midland
Green - southern
NE - browney red
Western purple
I know southern EMU's were green. did other regions have regional liveries on carriages?
BTW, it wasnt only totems that were in regional colours. all signage matched.
Were there any totem signs for other than station names on platforms?
Ash Bridge
Established Member
I'm happy to be corrected but I think NE were orange and WR chocolate with also black used at certain locations Ken.
Killingworth
Established Member
NE was orange and I had a lapel badge in that colour. Most spotters back then had one for their region, or if very keen all the regions!
Eastern region was dark blue.
There was NE region and E region. they were merged.
NE was orange as you said, Eastern was dark blue
dont know what happened when they merged.
Killingworth
Established Member
Dronfield has a dark blue totem on the south facing wall of the up platform. It was bought and put up by the station friends group.
Curious because in 1948 Dronfield was an LMS station, originally opened by the Midland Railway. The line was in the Midland Region until 1958. The totems taken down to be replaced by BR black lettering on white signs were dark blue. Nobody can prove if there were ever maroon totems for about 10 years. No colour pictures of that era have come to light, but one may exist.
Curious because in 1948 Dronfield was an LMS station, originally opened by the Midland Railway. The line was in the Midland Region until 1958. The totems taken down to be replaced by BR black lettering on white signs were dark blue. Nobody can prove if there were ever maroon totems for about 10 years. No colour pictures of that era have come to light, but one may exist.
There’s an older thread on the subject here.
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/british-rail-station-signage-beeching-era.78848/
I’m assuming that there are no totem signs that have remained in position since the 1950s/60s (although the large Lowestoft sign is a beauty isn’t it)?
Did any of the early preserved railways retain the original signs? I’m thinking of ones that passed straight into private ownership like the Bluebell/Dartmouth Steam Railway etc?
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/british-rail-station-signage-beeching-era.78848/
I’m assuming that there are no totem signs that have remained in position since the 1950s/60s (although the large Lowestoft sign is a beauty isn’t it)?
Did any of the early preserved railways retain the original signs? I’m thinking of ones that passed straight into private ownership like the Bluebell/Dartmouth Steam Railway etc?
pdeaves
Established Member
I wouldn't have thought so for the Dartmouth line. It transferred in working order in 1972, way after the 'BR blue' era had started.
Yes you’re right. I’ve just been looking through the Cornwall Railway Society website at photos of the line from the early 1970s, and although there’s plenty of evidence of various enamel chocolate and cream signage there’s definitely no totems left.
This one taken at Churston by Ron Koys in 1971 proves your point:
This one taken by the same photographer a few days earlier shows some of the various old signs still in existence at Paignton at the time:
Lovely stuff.
The E and NE only merged after the former regional colours etc had been replaced by the "corporate identity", which for signage was black on white everywhere.
The last survivor in signs I recall was, of all unlikely places, at Plaistow. On the Underground District line but had been a BR station until about 1960 when the ones alongside the LT&S were transferred to the Underground. It was a "This Side Up" overhead sign, over the stairway up from the Eastbound platform, enamel in ER standard dark blue and white. It was still there in the late 1980s. Probably had been new not long before the transfer.
Obliquely relevant, but at Taunton station the running-in station name alongside Platform 1, the Up Minehead arrival bay, was still white raised letters on a black background, the old GWR colours - the Western Region did cream on brown. This was in the late 1960s, 20 years after nationalisation.
The last survivor in signs I recall was, of all unlikely places, at Plaistow. On the Underground District line but had been a BR station until about 1960 when the ones alongside the LT&S were transferred to the Underground. It was a "This Side Up" overhead sign, over the stairway up from the Eastbound platform, enamel in ER standard dark blue and white. It was still there in the late 1980s. Probably had been new not long before the transfer.
Obliquely relevant, but at Taunton station the running-in station name alongside Platform 1, the Up Minehead arrival bay, was still white raised letters on a black background, the old GWR colours - the Western Region did cream on brown. This was in the late 1960s, 20 years after nationalisation.
Totems didnt appear overnight, either - plenty of Southern stations went from bullseyes to black on white, for example. Horsted Keynes still had them when the electric service ended (just checked a photo online).
Similarly, I wonder if Churston ever had totems? Obviously many WR stations did and I recaĺl seeing them into the 70s, and other signs were replaced as needed.
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In which case when the Bluebell was saved would they have been considered “Too modern”?
Almost like preserving a First sign now.
Ash Bridge
Established Member
Keighley & Worth Valley may be a good shout Mr C. Taken over by the preservationists around 1967/68(ish?) can't imagine the new British Rail corporate image black on white signage on any of its intermediate stations....
Seeing the line closed in 1962, no - and I've not seen any evidence of the tangerine era. The railway uses maroon ones as part of the 50s image but that isn't strictly correct, of course.
Well, bullseyes were pre-war - no idea how much of the present green signage at HK is original.In which case when the Bluebell was saved would they have been considered “Too modern”?
Almost like preserving a First sign now.
Still "up" today is the lovely original BR(NE) fascia station name board at Saltburn, in black-edged white lettering on tangerine (a later improvement on the original simple white on tangerine scheme). Rather a shame that this does not include the 'totem' motif, but great that it still exists ans remains in situ and in excellent condition. My pic attached is from March 2014 and a Google Earth street view of June 2018 confirms it's existence
....and just a pedant note for the record re "totems"
BR back in the 1960's published a document re the shape, size, colouring, size of lettering, platform display position (and probably more which I have forgotten) re "station lamp tablets" (or totems as we have always described them). The lamp tablet was made in the familiar sausage shape but did not have the totem motif incorporated. The motif was however present on the vast majority of other enamel sineage of that era for all regions.
Ashley Hill
Established Member
The last station known to have carried its origional totems was Goxhill. These were removed in 1988. Any hanging on a NR station now would be replicas. There may be one or two stations where an example has been preserved in a secure location such as a booking office.Oxford used to have one behind glass.
They seem to be a favourite on old station buildings which have been sold off as private houses, behind a fence from the platform but close enough to be readily read by passengers. Many will be replicas of course, but I bet some are originals from the station at sale time. Bere Ferrers is one that springs to mind
en.wikipedia.org
Bere Ferrers railway station - Wikipedia
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