On 10th February 2024 the Friends of Handforth Station (FoHS) were surprised and delighted when local resident Scott Dempster presented the group with a Handforth Station name totem dating from the era of British Railways.
FoHS were doubly surprised and delighted when, on Saturday 24th February, they were presented with a second such totem by John Coghlan, Chair of the Handforth Model Engineering Society (HMES). John said “This totem has been languishing in a garden shed and, when we heard of Scott’s donation, HMES thought that it might be of interest to those who currently care for Handforth station”.
In the British Railways era, the station name totems on the platforms at Handforth station were made of steel. The front face of the totems had a background of maroon enamel with superimposed white lining and lettering.
British Rail launched its corporate identity programme in 1965. As a result, all the old platform name totems were changed to more modern versions, a process that neared completion in 1980. This means that the totems donated to FoHS by Scott Dempster and by HMES have returned to their original home after a lapse of more than 40 years.
Mike Bishop, president of FoHS, said “FoHS are very grateful for this gift from the Handforth Model Engineering Society. It will very usefully complement our collection of original station signs from the era of British Railways. We hope to display the totems at the station soon.”
