This is a very impressive transport and industrial heritage museum just outside Glasgow. EMUs running through Coatbridge pass either side of the large estate occupied by this museum. There are vintage trams running from one end of the site to the other and several completely different exhibits to view. There’s a reconstructed coal mine, a street with all the houses in different decades and some fascinating engineering items. The star railway exhibit is a locally built Garratt loco outside in the rain a long way from it’s working life home in South Africa. This museum has been open for many years and has produced postcards in the past with railway content. Currently, the only postcard available is one of the Garratt. Entry is free and the facilities are very good.
Category Archives: Postcard Listings
The ultimate aim of this section is to provide details on all known railway postcards ever published.
Yes, this will be imposssible, but never the less we are going to try….
A basic definition on what constitutes a Postcard: “a card designed and published for postal use”. The general traits are that it has a space for an address and message. It may say “Postcard” or local language equivalent, it may have a box to indicate where a stamp should be affixed, it is likely to be printed on card rather than paper, although some of the photographic “cards” can be rather flimsy. So this excludes completely plain back printed cards and cigarette cards (unless they were printed with dual functionality to be used as postcards). It also excludes photographs although a lot of photograhic prints were printed as postcards or are ink stamped stamped “Postcard” on the back in which case they are included.
A basic definition of “railway”: “anything directly associated with a rail transport enterprise”
So postcards bearing Railway letter fee stamps or even Railway company “Perfin” stamps are covered as are trams. The scope for images on postcards is vast with trains, railway architecture, permanent way, railway related artefacts, and advertising all included. Model and minature railways are also within the definition but postcards featuring images of fair ground rides and “road trains” are outside the scope. Shipping and hotels owned or run by railway companies are also included.
All this said, don’t take these definitions too seriously because if its interesting its likely to be included.
Please do not expect this section to be fully populated any time soon. Priority will be given to areas where members have shown interest and contributions from members will be greatly appreciated.
Heatherslaw Light Railway
An interesting 15″ gauge line that is promoted as the most northerly narrow gauge railway in England. I discovered that it is a useful break of journey when travelling the A1 from Newcastle to Edinburgh. Whilst the station building could be termed a “wooden shed” there is also a model railway, and other activities including a stone built restaurant. Just one postcard available from the station that shows a scene en route. Well worth a visit if you are in the area or travelling through.
Listing of 1950’s Sweetman British Railways Photo Postcards
This is the first of our incomplete listings. The information so far has been formed from an amalgamation of my own list and one maintained by Tony Harden. I’m sure that some more postcards exist in this series beyond the ones we have identified here. If you have any postcards not listed then please send the details to us for version 2. Scan and e-mail the images to us via the Contact us link in this website.
The listing is based of 6 different varieties of printing:
1) Sepia brown front (all other types have black photograhic photographic fronts)
2) Sweetman “Sunshine” back
3) Sweetman “Domino Series” back
4) as 3) but additional “WITH GREETINGS” below POSTCARD and photo with border on front
5) as 4) but picture without white border
6) Anon – no printers name
please click on this link to access pdf listing
Sweetman check listing Dec 2015 pdf
Known postcards are blocked in green.
The get some interest in member’s sales lists I’ve also prepared a sales list for this series in the sales section.
Tiverton Museum, Devon
This post has gained priority because it was requested by a member. The request was for a list of all postcards featuring GWR 1442 which is preserved in the Tiverton Museum in Devon. The attached listing shows five postcards but made from only three different images. When Dr Beeching closed Tiverton station in the 1960’s one of the tank engines that worked the lines from Exeter. Bampton and Tiverton Junction was mounted beside the road close to the site of the station. When the new town museum was built the loco was relocated to it’s own inside gallery where it can be visited today. The museum is only about 100 meters from the alignment of the old line to Exeter which is now a road. When I visited the museum in 2014 it was selling the Unichrome postcard.
The full listing can be seen by clicking on this link:
If you are aware of any further postcards of 1442 we’d be delighted to hear from you.
The museum only has the one loco but has a wide variety of other social history exhibits and is well worth a visit.
Lavender Line Isfield Sussex
Isfield station is delightful and if you’ve not visited it you must add it to your “bucket list”. I visited on a Sunday lunch time in September 2015 and the station cafe was busy. The cafe occupies most of the old station building with the shop on the adjoining platform. The line only runs for about a mile but there’s national interest in seeing the line fully re-opened by Network Rail from Uckfield to Lewes to provide a London to Brighton additional route. So time may be limited to sample a ride on this authentic heritage line. I have previously visited about 30 years ago and from what I remember it has hardly altered with the exception of a new loco shed. As for postcards, the shop was selling a set of four produced by Smartart and a card by Beric Tempest which I suspect goes back some years.
I have listed all the Lavender Line postcards I’m aware of here:
Lavender Line click on link to show pictorial listing
If you are aware of other postcards produced featuring the Lavender Line please send us an image of both sides of each card please.
Sussex Community Rail Partnership
I know that several of you like to know of new issues by rail operating companies, This is next best thing! This multiview has an Electrostar unit and promotes rail travel in Sussex. I found this card at Isfield station on the Lavender line. I wasn’t able to determine how old it is.
Hayling Seaside Railway
The Hayling Seaside Railway is at the southern end of Hayling Island (near Portsmouth) and adjoins the sea front and visitor amusements. The shop and workshops are currently ( autumn 2015) being relocated from the western to eastern end of the line. The line does sell postcards featuring its own operations. The service is volunteer operated. Whilst not as old as many seaside narrow guage lines there are historical elements to find such as sections of track recovered from the old Alton Towers
The cards available in September 2015 are detailed here ( click on link below to view postcards)
Saltburn Cliff Railway
Saltburn has three railways operating during summer weekends, the Cliff railway, a miniature line and the standard gauge branch to Darlington. Saltburn standard gauge station today is of “bus shelter” design on a platform just to the west of the former station building which acts as a home to local retailers and a gateway to a supermarket. The local picture retailer at this site has a postcard for sale produced by paphoto.co.uk featuring the cliff railway in 1984. Unfortunatey this is the only postcard featuring any of the railways to be found at any of the stations in Saltburn. Don’t be deterred, if you’ve not had rides on all these lines they each have unique features and merit a visit to this generally little known coastal resort.
Armley Mills Museum, Leeds
This museum has a locomotive section with a variety of industrial locos originally manufactured in Leeds. Only “Jack” of the steam locomotives is currently operational and this loco is fired up to run on the museum’s demonstration line on special event days. The museum shop does sell a few postcards but these at present do not feature any of the railway collection.
Apedale Railway, Chesterton, Staffs.
This is a relatively new narrow gauge railway and as such may be unknown to many members. It combines with a mining musuem and nature reserve on the site of the old Silverdale mine. A fine new station building has been errected with Lottery Funding assistance. Yes, postcards are for sale in the station shop, but unfortunately not featuring the railway itself. There are postcards produced a few years ago now by Severnside featuring a series of Titled trains of the 1950’s painted by Frederick Lea.