• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Collecting window labels

Status
Not open for further replies.

83G/84D

Established Member
Joined
28 Oct 2011
Messages
5,952
Location
Cornwall
I had access to the label store at one of the Western route main stations back in BR days. Wish I had just a fraction of them now but sadly don’t have .
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Ashley Hill

Established Member
Joined
8 Dec 2019
Messages
3,198
Location
The West Country
Modus Operandi in the 80s was to board the train with the other passengers,grab a window label from the offside door and then nonchalantly step back out as if you'd just helped your gran on. Some trains also had the headcode stickers which were also fair game if the guard was not in his van. Of course now as a mature 40something I realise that stealing is wrong :|
Prized stickers were the yellow ones off named expresses like the Golden Hind or pictorial ones like the Nightrider featuring a sort of highwayman figure. Those featuring now closed stations like Tiverton Junction are collectable.
 

ChilternTurbo

Member
Joined
15 Jun 2016
Messages
302
Modus Operandi in the 80s was to board the train with the other passengers,grab a window label from the offside door and then nonchalantly step back out as if you'd just helped your gran on. Some trains also had the headcode stickers which were also fair game if the guard was not in his van. Of course now as a mature 40something I realise that stealing is wrong :|
Prized stickers were the yellow ones off named expresses like the Golden Hind or pictorial ones like the Nightrider featuring a sort of highwayman figure. Those featuring now closed stations like Tiverton Junction are collectable.
That was me as a youngster too... For old times sake I still occasionally grab an LNER carriage label at journeys end. Well they'll just end up in the recycling otherwise... I'll miss these when the final MK4s and HSTs are pensioned off :'(
I've probably mentioned earlier in the thread that I found asking station staff or writing off was a good way to get pristine unused labels.
I really liked the named train label designs that First Great Western and latterly GWR used. I'm still lacking a Weymouth bound 'Weymouth Wizard' label to complete my set.
 

Ashley Hill

Established Member
Joined
8 Dec 2019
Messages
3,198
Location
The West Country
The trouble with collecting pristine or unused labels is that they have no history. Whilst you may have a last GWR HST label you purchased off the internet for example,unless you were there then it has no memory. When out bashing at least you had been on the service you'd swiped the label off.
 

Peter Mugridge

Veteran Member
Joined
8 Apr 2010
Messages
14,751
Location
Epsom
When I collected these things, years ago, I would always write on them the traction and the full rake of carriages.

That level of detail proved extremely popular when I eventually sold the lot a few years ago due to lack of space.
 

pdeaves

Established Member
Joined
14 Sep 2014
Messages
5,632
Location
Gateway to the South West
The trouble with collecting pristine or unused labels is that they have no history. Whilst you may have a last GWR HST label you purchased off the internet for example,unless you were there then it has no memory. When out bashing at least you had been on the service you'd swiped the label off.
True. Stamp collectors, though, acquire stamps that aren't just those on letters they send or receive. Is that comparable? Ultimately, people can collect/hoard whatever takes their fancy!
 

Ashley Hill

Established Member
Joined
8 Dec 2019
Messages
3,198
Location
The West Country
Point taken. Unused penny black or used at least you still have a penny black. I haven't seen my old labels for years,they're in a box somewhere.
 
Joined
16 Feb 2014
Messages
273
But in the 80's/90's everything had labels (or were supposed to), So literally you couldn't be everywhere to get labels.

And personally I went specifically to Birmingham New Street once to grab a Tenby Inter City Swallow label, including letting the Irish Mail go (which had labels), Up turned the Tenby service, no labels. Thankfully through the online bidding site, I did manage to acquire both an Irish Mail and a Tenby label.

Then factoring in Engineering specials that show diverted patterns and unusual destinations it would be nigh on impossible to get them off trains.
And of course there is always something that you didn't know existed and all of a sudden is auctioned.

Finally only if your of a certain age did you have the opportunity to get your own, unfortunately the younger collector will not have had chance to get 30 series, 41 series inter city swallow etc.

So whilst yes its holds memories on actual services but if you want a collection you may have to resolve to buying a few
 

ChilternTurbo

Member
Joined
15 Jun 2016
Messages
302
It looks like LNER produced special labels for the final HST services. These have now hit eBay and bidding has already gone rather high...

EDIT: I can't link to these but if you type 'LNER window carriage labels' into eBay, you'll find them
 
Joined
16 Feb 2014
Messages
273
It looks like LNER produced special labels for the final HST services. These have now hit eBay and bidding has already gone rather high...

EDIT: I can't link to these but if you type 'LNER window carriage labels' into eBay, you'll find them

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LNER-Int...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

sorted for you

Do Scotrail still do labels for WHL services?

I can confirm that First did them for the splitter services, Not sure if Abellio continued
 

CC 72100

Established Member
Joined
23 Jan 2012
Messages
3,777
When I collected these things, years ago, I would always write on them the traction and the full rake of carriages.

That level of detail proved extremely popular when I eventually sold the lot a few years ago due to lack of space.

That's exactly what I did in my last few years of GWR HSTs, including signing then when I was the Guard!
 

Class43165

Member
Joined
18 Jun 2019
Messages
61
Got a GWR Flying Banana for Xmas. Now GWR are posting them in a solid envelope with 'DO NOT BEND' across the front. Much better than a flimsy jiffy bag.
 

ChilternTurbo

Member
Joined
15 Jun 2016
Messages
302
The trouble with collecting pristine or unused labels is that they have no history. Whilst you may have a last GWR HST label you purchased off the internet for example,unless you were there then it has no memory. When out bashing at least you had been on the service you'd swiped the label off.

Quite a few of my labels have been acquired on journeys I've undertaken. I was having a look through some of my collection today and two that stand out are these Intercity Holidaymaker labels from a Saturday only service from Birmingham New Street to Ramsgate and return in 1995. I remember dragging my dad along (now sadly no longer with us) on a loco hauled Mk.2 set purely to nab these Summer Saturday only labels. Getting a set before they'd been stuck on a window was an added bonus too!
IMG_1830.jpg

Image shows two Intercity Cross Country carriage labels from Birmingham to Ramsgate and return
 

ChilternTurbo

Member
Joined
15 Jun 2016
Messages
302
On the subject of Cross Country labels from 1995. I found these two Cross Country Voyager labels which I was given by station staff at Penzance. Does anyone know what Cross Country Voyager was? It obviously predates Virgin and is well before the Class 220 trains...

IMG_1829.jpg
 
Last edited:

Peter Mugridge

Veteran Member
Joined
8 Apr 2010
Messages
14,751
Location
Epsom
It was a Cross Country routes equivalent to the Silver standard that was on the London routes, if my memory serves me correctly.
 

ChilternTurbo

Member
Joined
15 Jun 2016
Messages
302
It was a Cross Country routes equivalent to the Silver standard that was on the London routes, if my memory serves me correctly.
Thank you! I did wonder if it was something like that. I can't say I recall travelling on a Cross Country service where this was an option but then privatisation and Virgin Cross Country were just around the corner so it would've been fairly short lived.
 

Ashley Hill

Established Member
Joined
8 Dec 2019
Messages
3,198
Location
The West Country
A 255 passed yesterday ( PNZ to EXD) with Exeter St David's window labels,albeit showing no other stops. Either they're still about or using up old stock (nostalgically perhaps?)
 
Joined
16 Feb 2014
Messages
273
I presume the same way the Scotrail HSTs have labels with destinations only without stopping patterns
 

Bletchleyite

Veteran Member
Joined
20 Oct 2014
Messages
97,530
Location
"Marston Vale mafia"
I am surprised not to see Plymouth on there or any of the intermediate Cornwall stations. Is there any particular reason for those omissions?

It only shows destinations (other than the origin), and the Riviera is now pick up only (up) and set down only (down) at those stations.
 

Peter C

Established Member
Joined
13 Oct 2018
Messages
4,514
Location
GWR land
I've been reading through this thread again as I'm looking for GWR HST Window Labels again. The earlier discussions were about GWR HST Farewell labels - if it's of any use to anyone, someone on eBay is selling 5 labels (all from the last HSTs or the Railtour): https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RARE-GWR...sh=item216a0be292:g:X9AAAOSwvmteLYdw&LH_All=1

Current price as of writing: £27
6 bids - good luck anyone who tries bidding - I hope you win them for a reasonable price! :D

-Peter
 

Class43165

Member
Joined
18 Jun 2019
Messages
61
Latest addition to the stash, not bad for £7
 

Attachments

  • C31CE7F7-E49F-4A80-89A2-C36A417D1B0F.jpeg
    C31CE7F7-E49F-4A80-89A2-C36A417D1B0F.jpeg
    2 MB · Views: 31
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top