European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 15, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Left two customers Check out some of the Railroad mementos. Below a sinful of signs reads like a geography text for Britain. Or la Oral offs i who i a a a a a to a. Of among the relics on Sale there Are tickets old pocket a Ches decals All manner of station signs clocks and even a once train bound toilet seat. Hit or Cert fied railway nuts Are timetables a j101 u a nes the passengers go by. For about $2 die no ,3n, us arts 8et a ones used by train Drivers who Lari a now passing by times of Little noticed landmark such As signal boxes. Raih 166 a St a note rested n having a record of British Annm amp a Quot Ard explaining the timetable craze. A Small boundtect8 f sales Row a is devoted to shelves of Darter a life a so Ess a Hascure items like decades old train watches once used by railway men to keep the Quot Quot Quot Quot son Home. Hanging along the Racks of Railroad Anima Al 3e stat on clocks with Price tags hovering Ballard my Market a prices seem High but says a k Quot we get it no Sere that the underlying reason for collectors Corner comes to Light. Forward thinking managers of British rail weren t going to let the booming antique Market in the country pass them by. Quot they thought if somebody on the outside can make it a business Why can t we Quot Ballard said. Quot it s ours to begin with. This was seen As a great Market Quot he added. Quot we re not going to let people line their pockets on our not everything at collectors Corner is pricey. Class cases hold bygones like unused tickets from earlier eras old dining car menus and tableware. There s a shiny collection of pocket watches some of them never used ranging from about $50 to $100. From time to time the store stocks old waiting room furniture along with the heavy and often intricately ornate cast Iron benches that used to line station platforms. Quot there Are a lot of things that could be used around the House Quot notes Ballard. The annual take from this House of nostalgia is about a half million dollars Ballard said. To keep the Cash flowing he and two other men have to keep up on All the extensive modernization programs under Way throughout the 10,000-mile network. Railway relics sometimes come in by train but if that s not feasible Ballard and company go and fetch them. They have a never ending Supply of Stock thanks to a never ending British rail program of modernizing its feel and its 2,500 stations. Collectors Corner is on Cobourg St about a Block East of British rail s Euston station in London. There Are signs leading to the store from inside the station. It is open monday through saturday from 9 . To 4-30 p m phone 071-922-6435 or 6436. A collectors Corner publishes an annual Catalon along with periodic supplements. To get the Catalon Send 1 Pound $1.95 within Britain or 1.50 pounds $2.93 by International Money order from outside the country to British rail collectors Corner Euston station London nw1 2hs, England. November 15, 1990 stripes Magazine 7
