Every copy of The Railway Magazine since c. 1955 looking for a home

[pml007]

My dad collected every railway magazine since around 1955 to the present day (every month). These take up a lot of space as you can imagine. He's now 80 and has dementia so we're looking at moving them on. We would be happy to donate for free to a railway museum or the like, if it's a private collector interested we would discuss covering the cost of transporting them. Most of the early ones are cataloged into year and they're all in great condition. We'd like to move them all as a job lot ideally.

He also has a collection of railway timetables from the 60s and 70s if anyone is interested.

If you are interested or know of a railway museum that might find them good as an archive please let me know. Happy to get in touch with them

 

[Gloster]

Are these public timetables or the railway’s internal ones? The later are often sought after and even the public timetables from that era are likely to find a buyer.

 

[Magdalia]

Unfortunately most museums and individual collectors that want full sets of old magazines already have them. The resale market for old magazines has fallen away in recent years and it is getting more difficult to find second hand bookshops at preserved railways willing to take them on. One other option is to consider offering them for sale at a railwayana auction, especially if they are complete sets. But don't have high expectations for prices.

The timetables are a different matter. Not many museums or archives have good collections of old timetables, and there is an active market for 1960s and 1970s timetables, both public and working, through specialist booksellers, railwayana auctions and ebay.

I use timetables a lot in my historical research. What are often most difficult to track down are the supplements, especially in the 1960s when lots of lines were closing.

One other consideration is your location (no need to be very specific). Timetables and magazines are bulky and heavy, so can be quite expensive to move.

And a final thought: did your Dad have notebooks full of numbers of locomotives that he saw in the 1950s and 1960s? As a researcher they might be much more interesting than the magazines and timetables!

 

[pml007]

Are these public timetables or the railway’s internal ones? The later are often sought after and even the public timetables from that era are likely to find a buyer.

Passenger timetables unfortunately

 

[pml007]

Unfortunately most museums and individual collectors that want full sets of old magazines already have them. The resale market for old magazines has fallen away in recent years and it is getting more difficult to find second hand bookshops at preserved railways willing to take them on. One other option is to consider offering them for sale at a railwayana auction, especially if they are complete sets. But don't have high expectations for prices.

The timetables are a different matter. Not many museums or archives have good collections of old timetables, and there is an active market for 1960s and 1970s timetables, both public and working, through specialist booksellers, railwayana auctions and ebay.

I use timetables a lot in my historical research. What are often most difficult to track down are the supplements, especially in the 1960s when lots of lines were closing.

One other consideration is your location (no need to be very specific). Timetables and magazines are bulky and heavy, so can be quite expensive to move.

And a final thought: did your Dad have notebooks full of numbers of locomotives that he saw in the 1950s and 1960s? As a researcher they might be much more interesting than the magazines and timetables!

Hello that's interesting, we assumed that the magazines would be more use to someone. We're not too bothered about price, more to cover the cost of moving them maybe. It seems a shame to throw them out when they're complete.

I've attached photos of the timetables they are from late 50s to early 80s, passenger ones. My dad probably does have note books he was a keen train spotter from a teenager. I'm not sure where they are would have to look. Unfortunately his dementia is at a point he's not much use to ask.

 

[pml007]

Found this list of the timetables

 

[Gloster]

Found this list of the timetables

Those definitely look like being worth the bother of selling and should sell. Only the last few years might be a bit difficult to shift, but still worth trying. Keep an eye on this forum as there might be purchasers among people here, but not everybody checks every day.

 

[etr221]

If you're not bothered about getting anything for them (and don't want too much bother of dealing with them) I would suggest contacting your local preserved railway (does he have a favoured one?) to see they'll take them (or any of the associated groups). And if you can deliver them all together as one lot, that's what I'd suggest - as one such group said to that proposal, if we really can't sell them all, we too have a paper recycling bin...

 

[Mollington St]

Good Morning

Please feel free to contact me reference the Passenger Timetables , i would may be have an interest in them all , as some look in potentially better condition than ones in my own collection . 07787 258211
Collection quite easy to arrange, yes they will be a heavy box or two , but not an issue .

What everyone is saying about the magazines is correct , they have no value other than a donation to a group or society , i must give away between 4/5 banana boxes full each month to local groups .

Hope to hear from you

 

[pml007]

Good Morning

Please feel free to contact me reference the Passenger Timetables , i would may be have an interest in them all , as some look in potentially better condition than ones in my own collection . 07787 258211
Collection quite easy to arrange, yes they will be a heavy box or two , but not an issue .

What everyone is saying about the magazines is correct , they have no value other than a donation to a group or society , i must give away between 4/5 banana boxes full each month to local groups .

Hope to hear from you

I would happily donate the railway magazines just have to find a group I guess, will contact some local ones! In terms of the timetables have a few interested so will get in touch

 

[yorksrob]

I don't suppose you're in Yorkshire ? I like getting the old Railway magazines.

 

[pml007]

I don't suppose you're in Yorkshire ? I like getting the old Railway magazines.

Where about? We're in South Scotland but do travel about a bit

 

[yorksrob]

Where about? We're in South Scotland but do travel about a bit

I'm in West Yorkshire near wakefield but don't drive. There would be some particular years I'd be interested in if you were heading this way.

 

[Magdalia]

Where about? We're in South Scotland but do travel about a bit

In that case you could investigate dealing with Transport Store who are based in Livingston.

They were recently discussed on this forum, see here:

On line transport book store

Has anyone had dealings with Transportstore.com , based in the Edinburgh area I believe? Only wondered as they are a new discovery to me (my fault, not theirs I am sure, lol), but any feedback welcome. Thanks.

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Mollington St]

Work has me driving up to Lossiemouth soon, so will be able to detour ref the Timetables , please do come back to me either way

Oliver

 

[nanstallon]

I find that even books are hard to dispose of - many preserved railways don't have space for old books.