Historic sign returns to Aberystwyth
A historic ‘boiler empty’ sign has returned to Aberystwyth locomotive shed after a gap of over sixty years.
The artefact has been donated to the Vale of Rheidol Railway museum, which is located in the GWR 1938-built locomotive shed at Aberystwyth. This is the very building where the ‘boiler empty’ sign would have been used in its working days.
The red sign (with white lettering) has recently been donated by Andy Carey. He takes up the story…
“It was collected by my older brother, Professor Roger Carey, when he was a student at Aberystwyth University between 1961 and 1966. My recollection is that he lodged with the mother of Danny Rowland, the shed master, for at least some of this time. He got involved with polishing up the “Manor” locos which was such a feature of the Cambrian lines for a few years. He collected quite a few items from around the the station”.
“This sign came to hang over my model railway back in Birmingham. It was equally rusty on both sides, so back in the 1960’s I painted the front in the red background and white lettering which you see now. I thought this is how it would have looked when it was new, whenever that was!”
“When we moved house, he took it with him, and it survived through several more of his house moves. After he died a few years ago, his daughters passed his railwayana on to me. The news that you would be displaying the ‘Dukedog” at your museum made me think it was time this sign went back home…and so here it is!”.
The item will be displayed on the footplate of ‘Dukedog’ No.9017 (currently on loan from the Bluebell Railway, and on display in the Aberystwyth museum): this is entirely appropriate, as the Dukedog was a resident of Aberystwyth shed for a number of years. There is every possibility that the ‘boiler empty’ sign may already have seen use on No.9017 before!
We are very grateful to Andy Carey for donating the item to the Vale of Rheidol Railway, as well as to Prof. Roger Carey for having the foresight to save the sign for preservation.
