North Geelong B Signal Box Sign on E-Bay

xke9600hp · Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 3:03 pm

North Geelong B Signal Box sign was sold on e-bay a couple of weeks ago.

Does anyone know why these signs are being removed from Heritage lineside structures and being sold off into private hands?

Does anyone know who is removing them for commercial gain?.

Surely the signs are owned by the Vic Gov't/taxpayers?

If they must be removed, should they be presented to the care of railway preservation groups for future posterity?

I think some of the other Geelong area signal box signs have suffered the same fate. (Nth Glg A & C)

wongm · Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 6:05 pm

I believe they pull the signs off when the signal box is decommissioned - North Geelong B was back in 2005 or so.

The windows of the box were finally boarded up a few months back, as was Geelong A. North Geelong A is still in as closed condition from 2006 or so. North Geelong C is still open, but I can't recall anything about the sign.

Marcus Wong

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xke9600hp · Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 7:27 pm

Thanks for the information. The main thrust of my observation is that these signs are ancient and should either be left in-situ or removed to a museum / the ARHS or similar, - not sold off by intermediaries for commercial gain.

simont141 · Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 11:20 pm

If it's any consolation, people that pay a high price for these items will generally take good care of them. Just means that we won't get a chance to see them.

Simon

www.prr.org.au

Deep Throat · Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 9:21 pm

It would be nice to get all of this for display in the North Willy museum or local historical societies. However, we can't save everything; and while enterprising individuals may choose to sell these signs for their own commercial gain which isn't the ideal outcome. Norm De Pomeroy's collection was a prime example of greed moving some quite historically significant rail heritage items overseas and in private hands.

That having been said, it is better than it being thrown out or scrapped (which is quite often where records are gathered from: I know that for example the A2 Boiler Register was rescued from a bin at Newport Shops...)

At the moment, the ARHS Vic Division's Archives is about to go through the process of being a PROV Approved Place of Deposit, meaning that government railway records that otherwise would be thrown out will be retained for future use.

So where we can, proactive steps are being taken, but we can't save everything. Ultimately, money is also a factor - we can't as much as we'd like to, spend money obtaining everything on eBay...

Anonymous - and proud of it.

kuldalai · Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2008 8:54 pm

The Signal Boxes with their identification signs are designated safeworking points and that is why they are signed as such . (Used in issuing Train Orders and Caution Orders etc as locations one can proceed to/from, as far as etc .

So when the signal box is de-commissioned the identifying name boards are removed.