Attention steam fans in England (or any railfan in England)!

[JimThias]

Spotted this sign in a client's house today, and when I asked where/how he acquired it, he said he bought from a closed pub "outside of Liverpool" several years ago. He didn't know any of the history of the sign as far as who painted it, nor when it was painted. I told him I'd do some research online using my "train connections" and let him know if I find any info.

The sign is fiberglass, roughly 60 x 90 centimeters, and has the same image on both sides. On top are two metal loops for hanging outside a building.


Have any of you guys across the pond heard of the "Railway Telegraph" pub? Any idea who could have done the artwork?

[JRMDC]

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[baggydave]

Jim
Lot of pubs in UK were called the Railway Telegraph. Plenty still remain but I can't find one on google for the Liverpool area. Just looking at it tells me a few things. The locomotive in question was built for the LMS in around 1937, the year King George VI was crowned so they were known as the coronation class. They were built to haul express passenger trains from London to Glasgow on the West Coast line which ran through Rugby, Crewe, Carlisle and Glasgow. They were also used on that line to go to Liverpool and Manchester , more the former so it could be from that city. In 1948 British Railways was formed and they inherited these locos. They painted them green but by 1958 some were outshopped in red. They were all scrapped by 1964. Therefore the date of the painting should be between those dates. In those days nearly all pubs were owned by one brewery or another so there should be a name of a brewery on the sign, but there isn't so I suspect that this was done by a local artist and not one in the employ of the brewery. Also most pub signs were made of wood, as this is fibreglass I suspect that it was to replace/ modernise an old one. Over the years many, many pubs have closed as falling down water is cheaper in supermarkets and the smoking ban from 2007 also killed off trade. Many appear in auction houses but it is the wooden ones which command decent prices. Hope this helps. PS I don't aim to go anywhere just yet. Best wishes Dave

[JimThias]

"Falling down water"

Thanks for the response, Dave. The info you provided was well in the ballpark of what I was looking for. After making my post earlier, I googled "Railway Telegraph Pub" and saw quite a few listed. I figured then it might turn out to be a common sign with no real significance. What I'm actually hoping for is someone to say, "I remember seeing that sign!" That would be cool, and maybe even give some information of the exact location of the pub where it used to hang. Fat chance, I know, but there's always a possibility with some of the British railfans that post here.

I asked my client if he was going to keep it or get rid of it, and he said probably get rid of it. I'd love to have it and with your info above, it gives me a better idea of what I could offer him if he were willing to sell it to me.

Thanks!