Heritage Uniform Authenticity

Out of interest, what grade are you looking to recreate, and roughly what period? (I'm guessing 1920's-40's, as roundels aside, it's all pretty similar.) There may be a loophole!

 

Guard. Period could be pretty flexible if there is something I like...

 

I shall consult the words this evening and get back. There was more than one grade of guard, and I suspect that if pillbox caps were worn it would've only been by the senior grades. They were more common before the grouping, but in the late 20's the company seems to have 'got with the times' a bit.

 

In my own case, I feel quite happy with the style and colour of uniform I usually wear.

In fact I prefer the later styles rather than the earlier versions.

Oh forgot to say what style and colour.

FULL ORANGE BOILER SUIT WITH REFLECTIVE STRIPES.
Beats anything else for visibility on the track and sod the moans from the photographers, it's my skin out there.

 

Yes it turns out to be nothing so unbecoming as a pillbox. According to the 1929 regs, basically your regular railway 'staff' cap, scrambled egg on the peak, gold braid around the rim and 'Guard' in gold script on a black mohair band. Not the best photo but hopefully you get the idea:
https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detai...ilway-guard-waves-his-flag-news-photo/3065530
I don't know if they were ever roundelized, but I've a couple of photos from the late 30's that show the 1929 design. I doubt they were changed to be honest. For a goods guard, lose the scrambled egg and change the gold to red!

 

Undoubtedly that is essential when out on or about the line, or at least a decent amount of orange, preferably with reflective stripes! But when serving as on train or platform staff... might ruin the atmosphere just a tad, Edmondson tickets or no!

(My tongue was moved into my cheek for the purposes of this post.)

 

Ah that's more like it! So the hat on HOPS ought to be suitable after all. Thanks for the picture, I struggled to find many, best I could find was a Victorian fellow in frock coat and top hat waving his flag! I like the double-breasted serge coat as well.

 

Well yes, you could wear a top hat and green frock coat, but I think to be authentic you'd need to sit on the back of the tender...

 

Options:

 

DELETED - On second thoughts, my post was in no way related to conversation about the WSR! Related to the uniform discussion though - I'll go and start a new thread...

 

This is re-posted from my last, now deleted, reply to the the WSR Operational Matters thread -

For my own part I'm after the appearance of an SR porter circa 1940-1948, though currently I'm nowhere near close really. My jacket is BR, I'm guessing early 1960s vintage, if not later, my waistcoat is modern (Though the buttons are original SR as opposed to reproductions) and my cap is also BR, probably again of early 1960s vintage with a reproduction SR Cap Badge. Aside from the buttons, the only authentic piece of uniform I regularly wear is my Wartime 'Railway Service' badge as, currently I am of such an age that, if supposedly working in 1948 (when Medstead is supposed to be representing) it would be assumed that I joined the railway at 14, so during the war, but would have been too young to have served in the armed forces. And I'm not the sort who'd be keen to join up underage either! Causes confusion at times as the MHR issues a similar pattern of badge for 25 years of service, which is physically impossible for me to have achieved!

Back to the uniform itself, can anyone help with images depicting SR (Preferably Western Division) porters during the years I mentioned at the beginning of this post? Was there any standardisation at all or were uniforms variable within small areas?

So, given that isn't the slightest bit relevant to a discussion about the WSR, I thought I would start a separate thread for it. I might have put it in the wrong place though... Oh well. I couldn't think of anywhere better to put it!

 

The IOW guys all seem to go to one supplier who does an accurate SR uniform. Either that or use a mixture of black trousers, waistcoat etc. I could find you the supplier if you pm me.

There was an article in Southern Way some time ago (probably ten years) where someone had dug out some unusual shots from the 30s of the same chap in several different uniforms, which were thought to be something of a 'catalogue'. Try eBay?

I know for footplate crew there were no standard uniforms until well into grouping times. Even then it was only the overalls and perhaps a hat. BR produced standardized overalls and greasetop but even had regional variations, though our lives are simplified by the excellent Footplate Equipment supplier!

 

The book "Great Western Miscellany" by Jim Russell has some good photographs of GWR uniforms, if you can get hold of a copy.

 

During my recent two-day passing out turn as guard, my trousers were declared a failure.

Inside leg seam stitching failed after bending/kneeling for watering of toilet tanks.

I completed my second day wearing my hi-viz overall trousers, which probably did spoil a few photos.

 

Yes indeed, there's also 'GWR Company Servants' by Janet Russell, which covers all sorts of stuff. Another useful source are local line histories by the likes of Wild Swan, which often include candid shots of staff at work, giving you a good idea of how stuff was actually worn, as opposed to what you see in the carefully crafted publicity shots. The thing to bear in mind is that the GWR, and I suspect most other companies, found it necessary to supply a whole plethora of different hats/jackets/overcoats depending on the grade, so it's worth having a nose through pictures if you want to try and put something together that's a cut above the generic 'railway uniform.'

 

I wonder if there might be a market for a rather generic black serge suit cut in a way that was representative of pre WW2 railway uniforms?

If the correct material is used it should double up as a way of shaving the legs

 

This is an interesting idea - one thing that often gets overlooked is the fabric used to make uniforms. A modern waistcoat and trousers will almost always be in a modern fabric which clearly wasn't available in the steam age and can't be disguised as such.

 

Yes, that's something that I've also found. My waistcoat and trousers really do not match my jacket at all!

I recently purchased a full serge-effect (It doesn't feel thick enough to be proper) suit, probably a 1960s-1990s bus company uniform, but I need to lose a bit round the middle before it will fit! [Read: I need to stop eating multiple ice creams during the course of a platform turn!]

 

Although it's not something I've looked into in great detail, I think the uniforms BR were churning out in the 50's and 60's were pretty similar to what had gone before, certainly as far as the GWR goes. Which isn't surprising considering a lot of them were still coming from the same suppliers. You do get slight changes in lapels etc, but that's not exactly a life changer. You can still pick these bits up on eBay, and in the second hand shops at preserved lines from time to time.

Regarding the second picture Robin posted, something didn't sit quite right with me so I went back and checked. I'm pretty sure that's a train despatcher, rather than a guard. (I know the caption says it's a guard, but there you go!) It really is a minefield!

 

I must admit I didn't think it looked quite right either, that makes sense. As you say, a right minefield!