Now found this, I did know I had it, that was in the shed ,
What a fantastic bit of local history to dig out of the shed!
That is a vintage Norwich Beers pub ashtray, featuring an illustration of the Norwich Castle Museum. [1]
It is a great reminder of the area's rich brewing heritage. The text around the rim reads "Brewed at the Brewery, King Street, Norwich," pointing back to the historic Morgans Brewery site. [1, 2]
A Quick History of the Look
- The Location: King Street was a powerhouse for local brewing for centuries. Morgans took over the site in 1844, but after major wartime bomb damage and changing markets, the site was eventually taken over by Watney Mann in the 1960s. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- The Brand: In 1976, the site was renamed the Norwich Brewery Company. They created brands like Norwich Bitter and Norwich Mild to replace older local names. [1, 2, 3]
- The Collectible: These durable plastic/melamine pub items—often made by manufacturers like Ornamin or Praesidium—were classic fixtures across Norfolk pub counters until the King Street brewery finally closed its doors in 1985. [1, 2, 3]
It makes for a perfect decorative piece if you have a home bar, man cave, or a spot for local vintage memorabilia!
This was what my Dad got for 35 years service with British Railways
What a wonderful, personal keepsake to find! These vintage Hilkinson 8x40 binoculars are a beautiful piece of family history, representing a massive 35 years of hard work and service with British Railways.
Hilkinson is a highly regarded brand among vintage optics enthusiasts. While the components were precision-made in Japan (the global leader in high-quality consumer optics during the mid-to-late 20th century), they were imported, fully tested, and guaranteed by Hilkinson Works in Hertfordshire.
Understanding Your Dad's Binoculars
- The Specification (8x40): The 8x means they magnify objects to look eight times closer than the naked eye. The 40 is the diameter of the front lenses in millimeters. This is widely considered the "sweet spot" for binoculars because they let in plenty of light while remaining steady enough to hold without a tripod.
- The Field of View (6.5°): This gives you a nice, wide window of view, making them excellent for tracking moving objects like birds, wildlife, or trains.
- Fully Coated Optics: The lenses have a chemical coating designed to reduce glare and improve brightness, ensuring a crisp image.
How to Get the Perfect Focus
The manual you found lays out the proper technique for Central Focussing (CF) models, which compensates for any minor vision differences between your left and right eyes:
- Set the Width: Look through them and adjust the main hinge until the two circular images merge into one perfect, clean circle.
- Focus the Left Eye: Close your right eye. Look at something distant and turn the large central wheel until the image is perfectly sharp for your left eye.
- Focus the Right Eye: Open your right eye and close your left eye. Do not touch the center wheel. Instead, twist the right eyepiece ring (the dioptre adjustment) until the object becomes completely sharp.
- All Set: Once that right ring is set to your eyes, you never need to adjust it again. You can now use just the central wheel to focus on anything near or far!
They look to be in fantastic condition, and having the original guarantee card and care booklet makes them a true treasure.
If you want to take them out to try them, let me know:
- Are the lenses clear, or do they look a bit dusty or foggy inside?
- Do you know roughly what decade your Dad received them for his retirement or service milestone?
I can give you some gentle tips on safely cleaning the glass without scratching the vintage coatings!
That timeline fits perfectly! In 1976, British Rail (as it was branded by then) frequently presented high-quality, practical items like clocks, watches, or premium optics like these Hilkinson binoculars to mark major service milestones.
Starting on the railway in 1941 means your dad began his career during the height of World War II. At that time, the railways were absolutely vital to the war effort—moving troops, evacuating children, and transporting munitions under incredibly dangerous conditions during the Blitz. He would have started under the old "Big Four" era (likely the LNER or LMS depending on his specific depot and route) before everything was nationalized into British Railways in 1948.
To work through the war years, transition into the age of steam's peak, and witness the massive shift to diesel and electric trains up until 1976 is an incredible legacy.
Because they sat safely in their case in the shed, the mechanical parts are likely still very robust, as these mid-70s Japanese-made bodies were built like tanks.
If you're planning to look through them, let me know:
- Do you notice any cloudiness, white spots, or "spiderwebs" (fungus) when you look backwards through the large front lenses?
- Do you know what job or role your dad did on the railway?
I can tell you more about what his day-to-day work might have looked like during those historic decades!
That is the absolute classic railway journey! Moving from Loco Cleaner to Train Driver represents the ultimate achievement of grit, skill, and dedication on the railway. Your dad literally started at the very bottom of the depot hierarchy and climbed his way to the most respected job on the tracks.
Because his career spanned from 1941 to 1976, he lived through the absolute golden transition era of British rail transport. Here is a look at what his journey would have involved:
1. The Gruelling Start: Loco Cleaner (1940s)
Starting in 1941, your dad’s job was physically punishing. Cleaners worked in dark, filthy, smoke-filled sheds at night after the steam engines came off active duty.
- The Task: He would have used heavy rags, tallow, and paraffin to scrub thick layers of soot, grease, and limestone scale off the massive steam locomotives.
- The Goal: It wasn't just for looks; a clean engine made it easier for mechanics to spot dangerous cracks in the metal frames.
- The War Effort: Doing this during WWII meant working under strict "blackout" conditions with barely any light, ensuring the vital wartime supply trains kept moving.
2. Moving Up: The Fireman Years
After proving himself as a cleaner, he would have graduated to the footplate as a Fireman. This was a brutal physical test, shoveling up to several tons of coal per shift into a roaring furnace while a heavy steam train bounced along the tracks at high speed. He had to perfectly manage the engine's water levels and steam pressure to make sure the driver always had enough power.
3. Reaching the Top: Train Driver
To finally "get his driving checks" and become a passed Driver was a massive milestone. It required years of flawless knowledge of mechanical systems, signaling, and memorizing every single curve, gradient, and speed restriction on his route by heart.
Because he drove up until 1976, your dad achieved something incredibly special: he drove both Steam and Diesel locomotives. He would have experienced the heartbreaking end of the steam era in the late 1960s and retrained to drive the sleek, modern corporate-blue British Rail diesels (like the iconic Class 31s, 37s, or 47s) that ruled the network in the 1970s.
Those binoculars were a highly fitting reward. Drivers relied heavily on their eyesight to spot distant mechanical signals through thick fog, driving rain, and coal smoke—having a premium pair of optics of his own must have been a real point of pride for him!
Do you happen to know which railway depot or station he was based out of? If he was local to the Norwich / East Anglia area (like the old Norwich Thorpe or Norwich City stations), I can tell you exactly which famous locomotives he likely cleaned and drove!
I remember he said about he moved to Swaffham Depot, as that was more quicker to get to Driver role then ? I think ?
Your memory is absolutely spot-on! Moving to a smaller, rural depot like Swaffham was a highly strategic, classic move for ambitious railwaymen looking to fast-track their promotion to Train Driver.
On the railway, promotion was strictly governed by seniority lists (the "seniority register"). At massive city depots like Norwich Thorpe, there were hundreds of cleaners and firemen ahead of your dad in the queue. You could wait decades just to get your driving checks because the older men at the top of the list naturally held onto the mainline driving links.
By transferring to a smaller country junction depot like Swaffham, he entered a much smaller pool of staff. When a driving vacancy opened up there, he had a vastly better chance of jumping up the ranks quickly.
What Your Dad’s World Looked Like at Swaffham
- The Swaffham Stabling Point: While the main wooden engine shed originally built by the Lynn & Dereham Railway had been closed as a full-time repair depot years prior, Swaffham Station remained a bustling, vital overnight locomotive stabling point and servicing yard right up until April 1962. It featured its own turntable, ash pit, and water tower. [1, 2]
- The Master of Many Routes: Swaffham was a busy, strategic crossroads in Norfolk. From there, your dad would have learned the distinct single-line routes branching out to King's Lynn, Dereham, and Thetford. [1]
- The "Passed Fireman" Era: He likely spent his time at Swaffham as a "Passed Fireman"—meaning he was officially qualified to drive when needed, stepping into the driver's seat for local agricultural freight, sugar beet trains, coal runs, and regional passenger shuttles. [1]
Making that move to Swaffham shows exactly how determined he was to get to the top of his trade. He chose to put himself where the opportunity was, rather than just waiting his turn in the city. It paid off perfectly, giving him a full, long career at the regulator before retiring with those milestone binoculars!
It’s incredible how the pieces of his journey fit together. If you'd like to share, do you know:
- Did he eventually move back to a larger depot (like Norwich or King's Lynn) once he was a fully established Mainline Driver?
- Do you have any memories of him talking about working with steam versus switching over to the modern diesel trains?
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