Ref:- The Permanent Way of the Great Western Railway for Gun Street depot (part 2)
Ref:- Quirky Answers – GWR PW Chairs
Many years ago I was asked to collect a “package” for a fellow S7 modeller… he had won an E-bay auction and the buyer had requested collection for the “package” weighed around 90-100 lbs.. When my friend called to collect his “purchase” I was shown what I had collected – two cast iron rail chairs. One of the chairs was from the L&NWR and has no relevance to this journal. The second chair was from the Great Western Railway and my friend suggested that I might like to retain the item and that is how I came to be the custodian of a (very) small part of GWR history.
I have tripped / fallen over the GWR chair so many times in the last few years without giving any thought as to the part which it might play in the alternative world of Basilica Fields… and ‘Quirky Queries’ owes its inclusion in this journal to yet another encounter between my toes and that immovable object. Some weeks after the Permanent Way of the Great Western Railway for Gun Street depot (part 1) was written I came across the chair again and this time the lettering on the base attracted my attention. There are several collections of railway chairs at different “heritage / preservation” centres and most of those chairs have raised letters / numbers on the top surface of the base. In general, the letters /numbers give information about the relevant railway company, where and when the chair was cast plus an indication of the chair type (for example:- plain line chair, switch chair, crossing chair… ). However, this chair does not conform to the norm for the only markings on the chair are “GWR” and “86”, markings which appear to have been recessed into the casting.
GWR rail chair - top view
GWR chair - three quarter view
GWR rail chair - side view
Now it is possible that the chair dates from a time when the “normal” expected details were not included on the casting. However, the general size and shape of this chair suggests that it pre-dates the style of chair shown in the drawings of the Permanent Way of the Great Western Railway for Gun Street depot (page 2).
So, do the photos show a rail chair for the 86lbs per yard rail which was instroduced in 1882?
What do you think?
regards, Graham
[further information on this type of chair has been found and the topic is now continuing as a Quirky Answer ]
Basilica Fields 
April 28, 2011 at 11:13 am
I’m inclined to the view that the numbers are simply the last two of the date of the casting. most casting of any type use this as a form of quality control- just look at the base of your washing-up liquid bottle for a modern manifestation! But I’m puzzled by the lettering being intaglio rather than raised. This means that the lettering in the mould would have to be in relief and reverse which is surely the hard way of doing it! Very GWR!
April 28, 2011 at 8:58 pm
That the numbers are ’86’ does not aid interpretation as the numbers could be the year of casting or the rail section….
I have re-examined the chair, since you left your comment, to check on the characters relative to the surface. Whilst the chair has a thick coat of paint there is no suggestion of the characters being proud, rather there are definite indications that the characters are recessed.
I shall see if I can get the chair cleaned by bead-blasting and that ought to resolve the matter of ’embossed’ or ‘recessed’.
Thank you for adding your thoughts on this Quirky Query.
regards, Graham
May 3, 2011 at 8:44 pm
What surprises me is that it appears to be for inside keys. In the side view the left hand jaw which faces to the rail web shows the the rail would lean towards the key not away from the key.
May 3, 2011 at 10:49 pm
Railchairs are made by sand casting from wooden or metal patterns (see C J Allen, “Modern British Permanent Way”, 1915). So it is easier to make lettering recessed rather than raised.
86 is almost certainly the rail weight. When the GWR put on the year they generally used the full year, eg. 1901. I have seen GWR chairs marked with 92 for rail weight but not a year.
Some GWR plain line was inside-keyed. I have inside-keyed GWR chairs from Kington. And I have a GWR chair marked 1876 that appears to be inside-keyed.
The oldest date I have seen cast on any railchair is 1872 on a GNR chair.
May 4, 2011 at 6:23 pm
I forgot to add that EARM have a wonderful collection of odd railchairs.