New brown 1950s style signs at station

[Snow1964]

Lots of new signs have been installed today at my local station Bradford on Avon

Bradford on Avon has just gone all retro (1950s style) with new signage

Brown backgrounds and double sausage with British Railways are back for 2026. (Is this the new regional GBR colours)

The yellow penalty fares sign is interesting, just spotted at the bottom it says penalty fares do not apply to customers using cross country or Transport for Wales, is this new thing ?

Any other station else been changed like this with old style signs

Not sure why sign for platform 2 includes Portsmouth, but platform 1 doesn't include Cardiff in the list.

(4 photos attached)

 

[CarrotPie]

Glad to see the Rail Alphabet 2 rollout is progressing at spee- oh, nevermind.

 

[Quincy]

The yellow penalty fares sign is interesting, just spotted at the bottom it says penalty fares not charged by cross country or Transport for Wales, is this new thing ?

IIRC, it’s just a genral sign GWR use, I believe there are a couple examples at other stations on the line, including Keynsham which I use regularly. I may have a photo of said sign.

Edit: I don’t at the moment.

However I must say I welcome the new signage, fits in well Bradford upon Avon’s vibes.

 

[AndrewP]

I do prefer the Gill Sans typeface to the Rail Alphabet anyway but this is a nice touch for a heritage location

 

[DelW]

Is the station listed, or in a conservation area? That might be a reason for historic-style signage.

I do think it looks appropriate for an old-style station, though I'm slightly surprised it complies with accessibility requirements. RA2 looks good in modern surroundings, but less so in historic ones.

 

[Ashley Hill]

I really like the retro signage being used on the various stations.
One thing that has always puzzled me about the station footbridge here is why it has an image of a man smoking a pipe on the upside stairs?

Photo Alamy

 

[pdeaves]

Is the station listed, or in a conservation area? That might be a reason for historic-style signage.

I do think it looks appropriate for an old-style station

Up and down sides are grade II listed separately (one side, other side). 1950s look is, arguably, too modern (station opened 1857)!

 

[DarloRich]

Looks very nice but do the signs comply with modern accessibility requirements? ( yes, i am this fun at parties)

 

[simonw]

Just been to check that my Bradford on Avon totem is still in my study.....

 

[The exile]

Looks very nice but do the signs comply with modern accessibility requirements? ( yes, i am this fun at parties)

Presumably if they are supplementary to the required information (and I don’t know whether or not that is the case) that doesn’t matter. (In the same way that not all toilets have to be accessible as long as the required number are).

 

[plugwash]

The yellow penalty fares sign is interesting, just spotted at the bottom it says penalty fares do not apply to customers using cross country or Transport for Wales, is this new thing ?

Crosscountry don't do penalty fares.

TFW do have a penalty fares scheme, but looking at the map I would guess they don't have an agrement with GWR on reciprocal penalty fares collection.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

One thing that has always puzzled me about the station footbridge here is why it has an image of a man smoking a pipe on the upside stairs?
View attachment 196973
Photo Alamy

Did Sherlock Holmes catch a train there once?

(Okay, I'll get my coat!)

 

[edwin_m]

Branch line stations in Devon and Cornwall were fitted with similar signage some years ago, using SR green instead where applicable. Community Rail Parternship initiative I think.

 

[Snow1964]

Looks very nice but do the signs comply with modern accessibility requirements? ( yes, i am this fun at parties)

The help point signs (and one pointing to the stairs on platform 1) are still the old black font on white background.

Don't know if that is just timing, or if not being going to be done, but the sign on other platform (platform 2) pointing to stairs has been changed.

To be honest the 3 remaining white background signs are now jarring and look hideously out of keeping

 

[Quincy]

Does anyone know if they have kept the previous FGW purple station signage?

 

[pdeaves]

Does anyone know if they have kept the previous FGW purple station signage?

I'd say no, on the basis that I have a photo of a FGW sign in the exact same position as the 'hot dog' sign shown in the first post.

 

[Gloster]

I really like the retro signage being used on the various stations.
One thing that has always puzzled me about the station footbridge here is why it has an image of a man smoking a pipe on the upside stairs?
View attachment 196973
Photo Alamy

Supposedly the image of a blacksmith from BR’s CCE Dept. who was repairing the step-treads in the 1980s. He made it as a likeness of himself and attached it to the bridge.

 

[The exile]

TFW do have a penalty fares scheme, but looking at the map I would guess they don't have an agrement with GWR on reciprocal penalty fares collection.

Presumably at the moment only likely to be relevant at Cheltenham & Gloucester -aren’t they the only stations served by TfW where there might be a GW revenue block.

 

[Joe Paxton]

GBR are trialling a 'new' (old) look for the GB News generation...

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Supposedly the image of a blacksmith from BR’s CCE Dept. who was repairing the step-treads in the 1980s. He made it as a likeness of himself and attached it to the bridge.

Elementary, my dear Watson!

 

[Chrius56000]

. . .I've said this before but British Railways pre–corporate era signage (with totems!) looks smashing on stations modernised and kept in good repair, especially when mounted on good posts in modern materials – I'll be contacting G.B.R. with copies if these photos – it'd be lovely to have a few examples from each original region of British Railways along a suitable Community Partnership line!

For example :–

Scottish Region :–

Borders, Mallaig, Oban, Kyle of Lochalsh or Far North lines ;

North Eastern Region :–

Saltburn–On–Sea Branch, Whitby Line, Hull–Scarborough line, Ilkley Branch ;

Eastern Region :–

Barton–On–Humber Branch, Cambridge–King's Lynn, Cambridge–Ipswich, East Suffolk Line, Harwich, Southminster and Marks Tey–Sudbury branches ;

London Midland Region :–

Settle–Carlisle, Cumbrian Coast, South Fylde Line, Preston–Colne, Blaneau Ffestinog Branch, Bletchley–Bedford, St. Albans Abbey ;

Southern Region :–

Coastway, Marshlink Line, Alton Branch, Exeter–Barnstaple, Salisbury–Exeter, Okehampton Branch ;

Western Region :–

Great Bedwyn Local Service, Henley–On–Thames, Maidenhead Branch, Oxford–Bicester, Liskeard–Looe, St. Erth–St. Ives.

. . .I selected these lines as they are all services with local village stations still open on them that are less important lines mostly looked after by Community Rail Partnerships!

 

[Ashley Hill]

Supposedly the image of a blacksmith from BR’s CCE Dept. who was repairing the step-treads in the 1980s. He made it as a likeness of himself and attached it to the bridge.

Thanks, how vain of him!

 

[tumbledown]

Thanks, how vain of him!

There's a tradition of craftsmen signing their work.

 

[Ashley Hill]

There's a tradition of craftsmen signing their work.

Yes, but of their own image?

 

[fac586]

Scottish Region :–

Borders, Mallaig, Oban, Kyle of Lochalsh or Far North lines ;

Springfield. It feels like no trains have stopped there since 1958 so it might as well look the part...

 

[Deepgreen]

Interesting to see. BoA residents (of whom a close friend of mine is one) generally spell the town name without hyphens. Not having Cardiff as a destination is poor - presumably these are new signs so it could, and should, have been included.

 

[Quincy]

Interesting to see. BoA residents (of whom a close friend of mine is one) generally spell the town name without hyphens. Not having Cardiff as a destination is poor - presumably these are new signs so it could, and should, have been included.

It also seems to omit the Weymouth line.
Nevertheless glad to see the signage implemented.

 

[Snow1964]

Interesting to see. BoA residents (of whom a close friend of mine is one) generally spell the town name without hyphens. Not having Cardiff as a destination is poor - presumably these are new signs so it could, and should, have been included.

I wonder if leaving Cardiff off the destinations is deliberate.

TfW are proposing a South Wales-Cardiff-Bristol service, so are GWR considering cutting Portsmouth services to terminate at Bristol, or rerouting them somewhere else instead (avoiding Bristol reversal), perhaps Weston super Mare, or Exeter via the new stations (Wellington and Cullompton).

No idea if omitting Cardiff is an oversight, or part of some unpublished masterplan for next 3 or 4 years.

 

[Ridgeblog]

Lots of new signs have been installed today at my local station Bradford on Avon

Bradford on Avon has just gone all retro (1950s style) with new signage

Brown backgrounds and double sausage with British Railways are back for 2026. (Is this the new regional GBR colours)

The yellow penalty fares sign is interesting, just spotted at the bottom it says penalty fares do not apply to customers using cross country or Transport for Wales, is this new thing ?

Any other station else been changed like this with old style signs

Not sure why sign for platform 2 includes Portsmouth, but platform 1 doesn't include Cardiff in the list.

(4 photos attached)

Very cool and vintage, looks like gwr with all the chocolate brown!

 

[Gloster]

Very cool and vintage, looks like gwr with all the chocolate brown!

GWR colours for wooden notices and running in boards were black with white lettering and beading. Enamel notices were white lettering on dark blue, although I think that this may have changed to a black background.