The World of Railwayana

Welcome to this special supplement

The term ‘railwayana’ can cover all manner of rail-related memorabilia, from Victorian carriage prints, right up to nameplates recently removed from recently withdrawn HST power cars. Collecting such material has become a way for many thousands of enthusiasts to own their own piece of the railways and, contrary to what some may think, doesn’t have to be an expensive hobby as some items sell for just a few pounds. What is evident is that a number of collectors buy and sell items – station totems and locomotive nameplates or similar – which may be of personal interest or significance because of where they lived, or where they spotted trains as a youngster. One of the main sources of buying and selling is via specialist railway auctions (see p30), but items can appear for sale on online auction or social media sites too. Plus there can be a ‘find’ in a local second-hand shop as well. It was back in the 1960s when The Railway Magazine first started to carry adverts for nameplates, cab side numberplates, smokebox numberplates and enamel signs, and since then the hobby has expanded massively into the multi-million pound business it is today. While this supplement is merely a taster, we hope you feel sufficiently encouraged to take part if the fancy takes you... especially as it is never too late to begin collecting. ■