We’ve quite the range of skillsets across our volunteers. However, when it comes to applying signwriting to our vintage carriages, we need to bring in a specialist. Over the last few weeks, we’ve been lucky enough to have the amazing John Gray of Farset Signs at our railway to hand paint some beautiful calligraphy onto our heritage set.
After the letters and numbers on BCDR 72 (the Holywood Railmotor) and GSWR 836 were damaged during a filming contract a few months ago, we asked John, one of Northern Ireland’s most skilled traditional signwriters, to paint on new ones. Working entirely freehand, he made an impeccable recreation of the original Belfast and County Down Railway lettering style, using outlines of the originals which were recorded in the 1950s by our late member Des Coakham. We’re blown away with how John brought together shadows, light, shading, and reflections to give such depth and richness to his work. His signwriting on our carriages is truly a work of art.
Each letter and number is a work of art in itself – it’s the little details like this that make railway preservation so special.
