Fake Railwayana Rogues Gallery

Judgement Day · 06-04-2012 12:04am #1

I know we have touched on this before but I can't find the posts and perhaps, given the amount of it, it deserves a thread of its own. Just tonight I came across this beauty in an antiques auction up the country. Anybody even know what company the initials are supposed to stand for?

steamengine · 06-04-2012 9:17am

There is a Belfast Hollywood and Bangor Railway mentioned in Tom Ferris's History of Irish railways.

corktina · 06-04-2012 9:22am

id loveto know who is making them. I could get one for "my" line!

Judgement Day · 06-04-2012 9:23am

Gosh, that must make the sign very valuable!

Here's the link to Ken Lennan's Fake Irish Railwayana page which is well worth checking out.

http://www.irishrailwayana.com/pa306.htm

Judgement Day · 06-04-2012 10:08am

From a couple of years ago.

dmcronin · 10-04-2012 8:34am

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/N-I-R-Railway-Cap-Badge-Lapel-Badge-Northern-Ireland-/140730564170?pt=UK_Collectables_Railwayana_RL&hash=item20c431fe4a

Seen B&CDR and RPSI ones in same format. Faketty Fake.

Judgement Day · 10-04-2012 8:38am

At least it's priced at repro price and 99p is just about what it's worth.

Louche Lad · 10-04-2012 8:52am

corktina wrote: »

id loveto know who is making them. I could get one for "my" line!

Could it be the boom in Irish theme pubs abroad 10-20 years ago has ended and so the manufacturers of the decorations in those have had to come up with a new market?

dmcronin · 10-04-2012 10:13am

Judgement Day wrote: »

From a couple of years ago.

Especially lame as they neglected to take GREAT SOUTHERN AND WESTERN RAILWAY ACT...etc out of it!

There's also a number of poor-ish timber signs, probably for the aforementioned pub market or garden features, usually advertising British railway and shipping companies being circulated. Cobh is a holy show of White Star/Titanic tat on shopfronts right now.

The long cast iron LNER gate sign pops up in fake form quite regularly.

You're usually safe buying enamel signage, very hard to fake the real thing convincingly in terms of material/weathering etc. there's a few tinny ones about, but dog easy to spot.

Judgement Day · 10-04-2012 8:11pm

Not a railway sign and most likely the genuine article but in such fine condition. This Grand Canal sign is included in Whyte's sale on Saturday 21st April.

Grand%2BCanal%2Bsign.JPG

Judgement Day · 14-04-2012 10:29pm

Another rather crude fake features in Ashgrove Antiques auction on the 17th April next. As far as I know the MGWR never had these GSWR style gate signs. Note the strangely bockety lettering and thickness of letters on the M and G. It's only estimated at €40 - €60 and that includes another sign. Buyer beware!

MGWR%2BSIGN.JPG

http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/ashgrove-auction-rooms/catalogue-id-2850136/lot-13994244

L1011 · 14-04-2012 10:40pm

Doesn't even look like a G for the second letter.

dmcronin · 16-04-2012 8:31am

It IS a 'G', only upside-down and wrong way round! Jesus wept.

Judgement Day · 14-06-2012 9:09am

The latest fake to arrive on eBay. Note the fine sharp edges. Good lettering but a fake nonetheless. Some buyers appear to have been taken in by it though.

L%2526LSR%2BSIGN%2Bebay.PNG

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-ORIGINAL-IRISH-LONDONDERRY-LOUGH-SWILLY-CAST-IRON-RAILWAY-SIGN-/221045863130?pt=UK_Collectables_Railwayana_RL&hash=item33775c32da#ht_500wt_1202

cbl593h · 18-06-2012 7:25pm

From Ciaran Cooney's excellent site.

Is this the real Mc Coy ???

http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/Railway%20Stations%20C/Cappagh/slides/Cappagh_20090718_006_CC_JA.html

Judgement Day · 18-06-2012 7:43pm

cbl593h wrote: »

From Ciaran Cooney's excellent site.

Is this the real Mc Coy ???

http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/Railway%20Stations%20C/Cappagh/slides/Cappagh_20090718_006_CC_JA.html

Quite probably as there were quite a few Waterford, Dungarvan & Lismore Rly gate signs still in situ right into the 1980s.

corktina · 18-06-2012 9:17pm

i doubt it...its identical to the others except the initals isnt it?

L1011 · 18-06-2012 9:19pm

corktina wrote: »

i doubt it...its identical to the others except the initals isnt it?

Well, the design was swiped/edited from a real design, from somewhere. Was it definitely the GSWR?

It looks a bit better 'weathered' than the others if it is a fake, but that can be arranged.

Judgement Day · 18-06-2012 9:23pm

My point being that there were plenty of WD&LR signs about the place until quite recently and they were identical to the GSWR gate signs except for the initials.

dmcronin · 18-06-2012 10:47pm

cbl593h wrote: »

From Ciaran Cooney's excellent site.

Is this the real Mc Coy ???

http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/Railway%20Stations%20C/Cappagh/slides/Cappagh_20090718_006_CC_JA.html

FAKE. 'D' and 'L' are thinner than the ampersand (&) and the 'R'. These are common features of the many that appear at car boot sales. Plus 'R' seems to have an air bubble or some other deformity in it, a sh*te attempt at casting. Scrap value.

I have seen a few (real) rough wagon plates, poor castings and finish, letters ars*ways, different fonts, upside down and wrong way round etc., but signage meant for public consumption was (almost) always pretty neat.

Eiretrains · 18-06-2012 11:17pm

dmcronin wrote: »

FAKE. 'D' and 'L' are thinner than the ampersand (&) and the 'R'. Plus 'R' seems to have an air bubble or some other deformity in it, a sh*te attempt at casting. Scrap value.

I have seen a few (real) rough wagon plates, poor castings and finish, letters ars*ways, different fonts, upside down and wrong way round etc., but signage meant for public consumption was (almost) always pretty neat.

Yeah that one at me fooled alright, at least the company initials are a little more accurate to the line!

corktina · 19-06-2012 7:43am

Judgement Day wrote: »

My point being that there were plenty of WD&LR signs about the place until quite recently and they were identical to the GSWR gate signs except for the initials.

really? that sounds unlikely.:eek:

Judgement Day · 19-06-2012 7:46am

corktina wrote: »

really? that sounds unlikely.:eek:

Unlikely or not it's a fact not an anecdote.

corktina · 19-06-2012 12:17pm

I dont doubt you...they must have got Inchicore to make them for them I guess

Richard · 23-06-2012 10:40am

Judgement Day wrote: »

The latest fake to arrive on eBay. Note the fine sharp edges. Good lettering but a fake nonetheless. Some buyers appear to have been taken in by it though.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-ORIGINAL-IRISH-LONDONDERRY-LOUGH-SWILLY-CAST-IRON-RAILWAY-SIGN-/221045863130?pt=UK_Collectables_Railwayana_RL&hash=item33775c32da#ht_500wt_1202

I think I'd be taken in too. How would they have made it so authentic? (although obviously not authentic enough)

dmcronin · 23-06-2012 11:49am

The Swilly is not known to have produced that pattern of sign. I doubt if they ever went to the expense of casting signage for every one of their crossing gates, being cash-strapped as they were. The usual type (fairly rare anyway) is a curt "L&LSR Trespassers Prosecuted" mounted bus-stop style atop a timber post or rail. The title lettering looks a wee bit gammy compared to the rest of the text IMO.

Judgement Day · 15-07-2012 8:18am

Below - another obvious fake which has turned up for sale next week in a certain Midlands Auction Room. To be fair it is only described as 'a vintage railway sign'. :rolleyes:

FAKE%2BSIGN.PNG

gobnaitolunacy · 27-09-2012 3:52pm

More fakes:

http://www.rareirishstuff.com/irish-notices/irish-notices/irish-forty-shilling-penalty-gate-sign-ireland.html

If you look carefully you can make out 'LNER' (not even a real LNER sign) and touted as 'Irish'. The seller is a known purveyor of repro-tat.

http://www.rareirishstuff.com/irish-notices/irish-notices/emerald-isle-express-irish-railway-sign-train-ireland.html

The Emerald Isle Express did have a BR alloy headboard, but this is a pure work of imagination

Judgement Day · 23-10-2012 11:42pm

Another very crude fake which comes up for sale at West of Ireland auction next month. Priced at €50/70 - well over 100 times its true worth.

gobnaitolunacy · 24-10-2012 9:29am

Another offender, has sh*te rubbed on it in a feeble attempt at making it look older.

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/collectibles/3935908

Fender appears to be the real thing, but overpriced at 180 and besides it's missing the top rail.

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/collectibles/3783323

gobnaitolunacy · 07-12-2012 11:32am

Chancer methinks.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TRALEE-DINGLE-RAILWAY-SIGNAL-DETONATORS-COOL-STORAGE-TIN-BOX-VETERAN-SERIES-/190765293437?pt=UK_Collectables_Advertising_ET&hash=item2c6a7f5f7d

Fake Railwayana Rogues Gallery

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