doublearrow.co.uk
LightNews LightNews
banner
doublearrow64.bsky.social
doublearrow.co.uk
@doublearrow64.bsky.social
750 followers 0 following 500 posts
British Rail Corporate Identity 1965-1994
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
doublearrow64.bsky.social
doublearrow.co.uk @doublearrow64.bsky.social · Nov 12
‘Arrows of desire’, a book all about the illustrious British Rail symbol, published by the modernist® is now available for pre-order at…
the-modernist.org/products/arr...
doublearrow64.bsky.social
Do you mean the name Staples Corner has nothing to do with office stationery? I’m sure there was a Staples there when I was a teenager, presumably named—perhaps indirectly—after the mattress company?
mikeyashworth.bsky.social Mike @mikeyashworth.bsky.social · 2d
"The finest mattress made" : c.1930 publicity brochure from the bedmaking company whose works were then situated at the still eponymously named junction of the Edgware Road, North Circular and M1 in north London. Staples, formed in 1895, had links to the Heal's furnishings family.

flic.kr/p/2rEWjBX
Staples Mattress : publicity brochure : Staples & Co. Ltd. : London : nd [c.1930]. A finely printed advertising brochure giving details of Staples metal bedframes and mattresses. The company's history was tied to that of the Heal family, the famous store owners. In 1895 Ambrose Heal acquired the UK patent rights to a sprung upholstery improvement from an American, John Staples. Heal set his son Harold up in business in Deptford to manufacture bedding and this became Staples & Co. In 1910 the company passed into the sole control of Harold and in 1919 it became a private limited company. The move to Cricklewood and a purpose built factory came in 1926 and the site, on the junction of Edgware Road and the new North Circular Road became known as "Staples Corner". The company went on to become one of the best known maufacturers of bed frames, divans and mattresses gaining a Royal Warrant in 1923. Staples was acquired by competitor Myers in 1986 and production left the north London factory. Despite several changes of owners the Staples brand is still in use. The company had high standards of advertising and publicity as evidenced here as well as a strong 'brand identity', using the Royal Warrant, with a standard serif typeface and strapline - "the finest Mattress made" - in italised script. This brochure, that includes a die-stamped relief warrant, has no printer but it could well be someone such as the Baynard Press. The landscape format cover is in bright red with the Royal Warrant centred, diestanped in gold, and with the title "Staples Mattress" underneath also in gold. Below in black script lettering "The finest mattress made". The side edges are bordered in a black/gold linear pattern leading to buff card edges.
November 14, 2025 at 10:05 AM
doublearrow64.bsky.social
Live scenes from Macclesfield…
lbflyawayhome.bsky.social Helen Day @lbflyawayhome.bsky.social · 1d
Happy Friday!

‘Gallant Old Engine’ (1962)
(Ladybird Artist John Kenney also illustrated for Rev. W. Awdry’s Railway Series)
Scene from Railway Series book of a red steam engine battling through rain and gale - with a very annoyed look on its face
November 14, 2025 at 9:57 AM
doublearrow64.bsky.social
Beautiful Barking
November 14, 2025 at 9:54 AM
doublearrow64.bsky.social
I haven’t got it, if that’s what you mean!
mikeyashworth.bsky.social Mike @mikeyashworth.bsky.social · 1d
I wonder what did happen to this? @doublearrow64.bsky.social
planningtransport.co.uk Steve Chambers @planningtransport.co.uk · 1d
One of those illuminated Network SouthEast signs was uncovered there recently. Not sure what happened to it.

x.com/routemaster1...
November 14, 2025 at 9:51 AM
doublearrow64.bsky.social
Triple arrow, anyone?
mikeyashworth.bsky.social Mike @mikeyashworth.bsky.social · 1d
In the late '60s/early '70s CIÉ - Córas Iompair Éireann the state transport authority, issued timetables with some stylish graphic designed covers such as this Winter 69/70 #railway timetable. The map shows that the massive closures hadn't quite finished. #graphicdesign #ireland

↘️ flic.kr/p/2rFfBrF
CIÉ : Winter Trains Timetable - Amchlár Traenacha Geimhreadh : 15 September 1969 - 7 June 1970 : Córas Iompair Éireann : Dublin : 1969 : cover. The cover to the Winter 1969 - 70 train timetable booklet issued by the state transport undertaking CIÉ - Córas Iompair Éireann. In the late 1960s - early 1970s CIÉ were quite adventurous with the graphic design of their bus and rail timetable booklets as seen here with three broad arrows rising from the lower left corner of the cover. The cover is in shades of blue with black lettering across the top panel. Railway map of Ireland : CIÉ : Winter Trains Timetable - Amchlár Traenacha Geimhreadh : 15 September 1969 - 7 June 1970 : Córas Iompair Éireann : Dublin : 1969. The map tipped in to the CIÉ Winter 1969 - 70 train timetable for Ireland. The national networks, both north and south of the Border, had been in continuous decline for many years and the closure programme was not yet finished. The Loughrea branch and the services between Limerick and Claremorris although the line via Ennis has since reopened. The other service that is 'suspended' is from Waterford to Rosslare. One oddity is that although the line between Mullingar and Athlone, the old 'main line' to Galway is shown the station at Moate has lost its name. The line saw through services transferred via Portarlington in 1973 and eventually Moate was closed in 1987. The map also shows the joint 'Enterprise' services, from Dublin to Belfast, with Northern Ireland Railways and their lines from Belfast to Derry/Londonderry, Larne and Bangor. The outline of the island is in white, rail routes in green all on a red background for the sea.
November 13, 2025 at 9:14 PM
doublearrow64.bsky.social
Some notes on the design of the Inter-City 125 logotype (and the rationale for the dodgy chubby symbol version)
November 11, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Reposted by doublearrow.co.uk
sblynas.bsky.social
This is just a fascinating, knowledgeable, and occasionally withering survey, telling the story a #Ukrailways icon.
So glad I bought it!
November 8, 2025 at 10:32 PM
doublearrow64.bsky.social
‘Arrows of desire’ is a rather different animal, 210 x 210mm softback with 96 pages of historical design analysis and cultural commentary, dealing with sectorisation and privatisation (i.e. the 50+ years since the lion’s share of the Manual was published)

the-modernist.org/products/arr...
November 8, 2025 at 7:21 PM
doublearrow64.bsky.social
Rail symbol socks available from the Design Museum Shop…
designmuseumshop.com/collections/...
November 7, 2025 at 7:57 PM
doublearrow64.bsky.social
Banner unfurled at Ibrox (Rangers) on Thursday night…
www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...
November 7, 2025 at 7:26 PM
doublearrow64.bsky.social
Just going to pop this here for the maths boffins…
#RailSymbol2 #Pythagoras
November 6, 2025 at 8:12 PM
doublearrow64.bsky.social
Some of the biggest symbols from the British Rail era were those attached to the funnels of the shipping fleet
(Currently on eBay www.ebay.co.uk/itm/28691109...)
November 6, 2025 at 8:03 PM
doublearrow64.bsky.social
There always used to be a relationship between the parallel tracks of the symbol and the lowercase x-height; this is nonsense (just like making the whole symbol the same as cap-height, which makes the symbol too small)

Suppose it’s Rail Alphabet 2 so could be worse :)
November 5, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Reposted by doublearrow.co.uk
mikeyashworth.bsky.social
5 November 1979 & the new winter timetable for British Rail's East Coast Main Line between Scotland, NE England & York & not long fully operated by the HST 125 train sets. #railways #transport @doublearrow64.bsky.social

↘️ flic.kr/p/2kguRbg
British Rail Inter-City 125 services - pocket timetable - East Coast Main Line services 5 November 1979 - 11 May 1980. The pocket timetable for the ECML services between Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh to London Kings Cross via Newcastle, Darlington, York and Doncaster. The cover features a fine graphic of three HST 125 sets bursting through and promising faster and more frequent services. That they certainly did and the HSTs survived electrification as far as Edinburgh and have not long been finally withdrawn from ECML services. The timetable has a blue background to the upper third, with white text, and below the artwork of three HST cabs bursting from a black circle with the BR Double Arrow and Inter-City 125 in blue text above.
November 5, 2025 at 9:12 AM
doublearrow64.bsky.social
Lovely Flame Red and Pacific Blue accents #RailAlphabet
mikeyashworth.bsky.social Mike @mikeyashworth.bsky.social · 11d
Weatherbeaten. The sign at the foot of the track leading up to the remote Ribblehead Station in N. Yorkshire. @doublearrow64.bsky.social #sign #railways
The double plate sign at the foot of the track that leads to Ribblehead railway station. The top plate reads "Settle & Carlisle Railway Visitor Centre" in black Rail Alphabet. The lower reads "Ribblehead Station" in black, with the BR double arrow in red ranged left and lower right a blue 'ahead' arrow. The sign is weathered in this remote landscape and the lower plate is creased top right.
November 3, 2025 at 7:31 PM
doublearrow64.bsky.social
When I’m not thinking about railway-related design, I’m usually immersed in multi-script typeface design; here’s my latest offering—Aeropa PE—available now from Rosetta Type…
rosettatype.bsky.social Rosetta @rosettatype.bsky.social · 15d
NEW WORK🔥: Aeropa PE by Nick Job

rosettatype.com/AeropaPE

Designed for Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic scripts, Aeropa comes in six weights with duplexed italics. Nick, as always, packed it with a ton of extras, over 450 alternate glyphs to play around with.

#typeface #newfonts
October 30, 2025 at 11:55 PM
doublearrow64.bsky.social
‘Special’ indeed :)
(Note the first generation ‘Danger overhead live wires’ sticker)
class507.org.uk Class 507 Preservation @class507.org.uk · 20d
The clocks go back an hour tonight, but we're turning our clock back 47 years, to 25th October 1978. On this day, 507001 and 507002 were unveiled to the public, carrying a VIP passenger on a special train to Kirkby.

We're proud to have preserved Merseyside's Royal Train for posterity.
Queen Elizabeth II, just disembarked from 507001 at Kirkby station, accompanied by an entourage of railway staff and local officials.
October 25, 2025 at 6:39 PM
doublearrow64.bsky.social
This sign uses principles from the original Wayfinding Design Manual; cap-height vertical alignment gives an u&lc legend that sinking feeling plus the symbol is rather small relative to the name (the cap-height actually sits below halfway on this particular sign!)
(Photograph: Jason Carthy-Torbitt)
October 25, 2025 at 6:18 PM
doublearrow64.bsky.social
I could be wrong but I think TfL probably treat these green signs (e.g. ‘Fire exit’ etc) as a different animal from general wayfinding/information; it’s also a bit odd that there is no obvious ‘Way out’ sign (which could be different locations from any fire exits)
ttshields.bsky.social Tim Shields @ttshields.bsky.social · 26d
Above all else, you must know where the fire exit is...! #Hull @doublearrow64.bsky.social
October 24, 2025 at 10:47 AM
doublearrow64.bsky.social
Style versus substance :)
garethdennis.uk Gareth Dennis @garethdennis.uk · 28d
2000s versus 2020s
two railway station platform number indicators on an ornate column, the one on the left is dark blue with a white number and lighter blue stripe at the bottom, the one on the right is white with a black number in a much cleaner typeface
October 17, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Reposted by doublearrow.co.uk
holgate.permanent.red
This is gorgeous and strikingly unlike the SBB clock, which I had as an app back in the day (this should also be an app)
October 16, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Reposted by doublearrow.co.uk
showmeasign.online
Okay, whatever people think about "GBR" this is actually staggeringly good branding work.
doublearrow64.bsky.social doublearrow.co.uk @doublearrow64.bsky.social · 29d
On my way back north after attending the unveiling of the new rail clock at London Bridge; the timepiece is all at once disarmingly simple and delightfully ingenious…
October 16, 2025 at 1:06 PM
doublearrow64.bsky.social
On my way back north after attending the unveiling of the new rail clock at London Bridge; the timepiece is all at once disarmingly simple and delightfully ingenious…
October 16, 2025 at 12:44 PM
doublearrow64.bsky.social
Love this pillar (totem) signage treatment at London Euston, very clean and clear
October 16, 2025 at 9:14 AM
doublearrow64.bsky.social
This is fascinating; presumably not a North Wales service so not sure why an electric locomotive would be detached on Platform 5 unless it’s going further north via Manchester and Bolton

(Also of interest is the large symbol on the new signal box on the left)
chrisdoward.bsky.social Chris Doward @chrisdoward.bsky.social · Oct 15
Seeing we're on a Class 87 theme, here's one of my favourite photos: 87006 'City of Glasgow' heading north from platform 5 at Crewe after being detached from its' train on a Sunday around 36 years ago. @doublearrow64.bsky.social
87006 'City of Glasgow' leaving platform 5 at Crewe light engine on a Sunday after working a train from London Euston. 87006 is heading for the Manchester lines which head off to the right of the picture. Photo probably taken around midday as the sun is pretty much head on to the rear cab. Loco in early Inter-City livery, with yellow ends and a BR double arrow just visible on the bodyside of 87006. The West Coast Main Line to Liverpool and Scotland disappears into the distance to the right of 87006. Lots of structures to support the overhead wires are visible. 87006 is framed between the post of signal CE157, shunt signal visible, and a stanchion on the right.
October 15, 2025 at 7:09 PM