On the wall of Britain’s National Railway Museum in York, you can find a display of what might be considered wall art, might be thought of as ingredients in a transport company’s corporate identity, or maybe considered neat graphic design turned into cast metal components. It’s all three, and here it is:
Depot plates at the National Railway Museum in 2013. From left to right, top to bottom; row one: Buxton, Eastfield and Knottingley; row two: Cardiff and Crewe Diesel; row three: Stewarts Lane, Stratford and Hither Green; row four: Immingham and Grangemouth; row five: Toton. There were further plates, not illustrated here. Photo by Paul Wright [used with permission]
These are depot plaques, cast aluminium plates which were part of the best British Rail corporate identity of them all. Each one represents a different Railfreight depot, using local history and motifs to inform their design.
So where were we the last time…