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Guards uniform for a pres line

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TransportHub

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Hi All

Im a guard at a pres line and would like to have a 1980s blue BR guards uniform (the one that has the red BR logo on the pocket). Does anyone know of a good place to find one

Thanks
 
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steamybrian

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I presume you will not be wearing it on duty as it does not conform to the Spa Valley Railway "Dress code for Volunteers" which states that the uniform should be black jacket and trousers.
In my opinion it is poor practice wearing BR logos.
 
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Waldgrun

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I presume you will not be wearing it on duty as it does not conform to the Spa Valley Railway "Dress code for Volunteers" which states that the uniform should be black jacket and trousers.
In my opinion it is poor practice wearing BR logos.

I feel there are times that a 1980's uniform would complete the picture, after all what livery is the Class 207 unit no 1317 painted!
Also, I recall in the late 1980's a Guard who was green carded (Medically restricted as to what duties he could undertake), was a station announcer where I was working and was proud of his uniform and would take great delight in showing the label on an inside pocket,which stated "Laker Airways"! B.R. had brought a batch of uniforms and changed the buttons and added badges, I believe.
 

steamybrian

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I feel there are times that a 1980's uniform would complete the picture, after all what livery is the Class 207 unit no 1317 painted!
Also, I recall in the late 1980's a Guard who was green carded (Medically restricted as to what duties he could undertake), was a station announcer where I was working and was proud of his uniform and would take great delight in showing the label on an inside pocket,which stated "Laker Airways"! B.R. had brought a batch of uniforms and changed the buttons and added badges, I believe.

If you are volunteer working for a heritage railway then you must conform with the rules, regulations and policies issued by their Railway Management.
As well as working on the Spa Valley Railway in the past I also worked on one of the leading heritage railways in Wales and I had to adopt their policies. They also stated that a black suit (with no BR emblems) and wear the railway badges, ties, etc, which you are working for.
The rolling stock at the Spa Valley Railway appears in different liveries 1317 in blue and grey, 47493 was in BR black and 32650 is starting to appear in LBSCR brown umber, BR mark1s in green.
There is no need for further discussion.
 
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DarloRich

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If you are volunteer working for a heritage railway then you must conform with the rules, regulations and policies issued by their Railway Management.
As well as working on the Spa Valley Railway in the past I also worked on one of the leading heritage railways in Wales and I had to adopt their policies. They also stated that a black suit (with no BR emblems) and wear the railway badges, ties, etc, which you are working for.
The rolling stock at the Spa Valley Railway appears in different liveries 1317 in blue and grey, 47493 was in BR black and 32650 is starting to appear in LBSCR brown umber, BR mark1s in green.
There is no need for further discussion.

in that case intend to discuss it further. I hope you don't mind.

At times wearing the appropriate clothing/badges/embalms associated with a particular period in time may add to the period feel of a preserved railway.
 

Waldgrun

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There is nothing to say in the first posting by TransportHub, that the uniform is intended for use on the Spa Valley line, if it is, it may be for special events, Photo charters, galas etc. All TransportHub asked was where he/she might obtain one, what is wrong with that?
 

headshot119

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Shop around at some preserved line shops. I've seen plenty of BR uniform for sale in them across the country.
 

CatfordCat

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First off, I'd agree that it would be worth seeking guidance from whatever preserved railway it is about what they consider acceptable - unless you particularly want to get certain items for your collection, there might be little point in getting kit that won't be approved of.

From a personal perspective, I'd be inclined to think that BR uniform (now 20 years' obsolete - history didn't stop at a particular date) might not be entirely out of place on a heritage railway, especially if that railway does have 'rail blue' era / livery rolling stock, in the same way that it would not be inappropriate for bus crews at a 'running day' type event to wear pre 1985 National Bus Company kit / badges. (there's probably a photo or two out there of me driving an NBC liveried bus, and wearing one of those bloody awful octagonal hats they issued)

And for that matter, there's already buses in preservation from the post-deregulation / privatisation era, and another decade or two on there may be trains to match.

However, it might look a bit odd if (for example) different members of station staff at the same station were wearing pre-grouping, big four, British Railways and British Rail era uniforms, likewise if one individual was wearing a mix of several eras' kit - although I understand some long serving railway staff took a pride in wearing some pre-nationalisation badges or uniforms in to the 1960s.

And at the risk of possibly stating the obvious, you refer to 'red logo' - I take it I'm reading this right, and you're aware that (if memory serves me right) for a guard, you want jacket with blue rather than red stripes - see left picture on second row here - i'm fairly sure that the red stripe was for 'railman' (station staff), blue stripe was for guards (think they had an option of a more formal jacket), and that there was a version with gold coloured trim (not sure if this grade had the option of a zip jacket) for senior station staff.

Similarly, if you're going to see what online auction sites have to offer, some sellers have very little clue about what they are selling - sometimes this means you can bag a bargain because an item's been so badly described, but it can also mean that all kinds of claims are made for how old / rare an item is...
 

TransportHub

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I am just exploring the possibilties of getting one, currently the offical rules state a black suit is required however I (as the roster clerk of the dept) am looking at the idea of altering the policy. That however that is not a dicussion for here! The topic is how to aquire said uniform. Thanks to everyone who has given me advice!
 

STEVIEBOY1

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Shop around at some preserved line shops. I've seen plenty of BR uniform for sale in them across the country.

Yes, I would agree with this suggestion and also ebay, between them, I have picked up a couple of BR Pullovers that I remember their chaps wearing from the 1970s-1990s. One is plain Navy Blue with red and white edging around the cuffs and waist with a BR logo on the chest, the other is again navy blue, with a dark grey & red argyle/diamond/intarsia pattern on the front and again BR logo on the chest. Both are very good quality, especially the latter. (I do also remember seeing heavier dark blue jersey like pullovers around that time too.)
 

Spartacus

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Various bits of BR kits used to turn up in the second hand pres lines shops quite regularly, I can recall one or two that were like a lost property office, half full of it!

I agree, at diesel events I see no reason why these shouldn't be the preferred uniform, especially as is now often the case most of the diesels are in post-steam liveries.

Quick question, many lines have stations preserved in different time periods, is there preserved station anywhere that recreates post-steam BR yet? With the number of lines which provide a regular diesel service on the up, surely it can't be long before a station somewhere replaces wooden trolleys for brutes.

Uniform, official or otherwise can be a interesting thing. A few years ago a colleague and myself had a trip out in the Inspection Saloon. Now he had a habit of wearing old railway shirts and ties round the office, either bought by himself or which had passed into his ownership as they'd become obsolete over time (rumours of a Midland Railway tie and believed to be unfounded!). In the office there was no uniform, only a dress policy, to which this complied with, but when it came to the saloon trouble was brewing. He arrived resplendent in an obsolete Railtrack shirt, which drew the ire of one member of top brass waiting with us, who admonished him for wearing a non-Network Rail uniform with 'another company's logo' etc etc. His protestations fell on deaf ears though, as my colleague was able to point out the long rake of ballast wagons opposite, fully visible to the station, all proudly wearing 'Railtrack' on the side, and when it arrived the saloon had it on too!
 

randyrippley

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I've got a driver's donkey jacket, black with flying lapels, herringbone wool lining and plain buttons which I presume dates from the 1950's, possibly 1960's. As far as I know it originally came from a driver at Yeovil, but whether Western or Southern I don't know. (It came to me from my father, who got it in unused in exchange for help on a building job)
Its in good condition and it gets used! Nice and warm in winter. No, you can't have it!
 

PFX

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18 Dec 2011
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Hi All

Im a guard at a pres line and would like to have a 1980s blue BR guards uniform (the one that has the red BR logo on the pocket). Does anyone know of a good place to find one

Thanks

I've picked up a couple of the 70s style jackets from eBay and wear one of them for my guard's turns at the line I volunteer at, though I've replaced the buttons. Such heresy!

Unused jackets are often advertised though the biggest problem is getting one that fits. Most of those I've seen are very small and it took me over a year to finally get hold of one that fits a 42" chest.

Good luck.
 

TIJO

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I once saw one in a charity shop. But there is no chance you finding one there when you are purposely looking for it I think
 

johncas

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I have the uniform mentioned above with the correct hat which is worn twice a year at diesel galas rest of year I wear original 60's BR uniform or the late 60's uniform when pork pie hats came out our station is set in the 60's era but like I say to everyone else for original BR uniform ebay is the place to go collectors fairs etc will charge way more than the uniform is worth
 
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