The Handcrafted Toolbox That Lit Up Eardington Station
From the SVR’s smallest station, a heart-warming post by our volunteer lampman Phil Harris
It was such a shock when Eardington station suffered a break-in back in April. Thieves took various items of carefully collected and lovingly restored railway artefacts, including oil lamps, milk churns and signs.
For me personally, the biggest loss of all was my toolbox, full of useful bits that I’ve been using for the past 10 years to restore the oil lamps that we have here at Eardington. This tiny little station has never had electricity, and we rely on oil and paraffin to light and heat it.
However, out of bad comes good, and as soon as the news of the robbery broke, we started to receive a steady stream of donations to replace some of the items stolen.
However, the latest one really did take me by surprise.
I’d been in touch with a chap called Matthew Rowland, since soon after the break-in occurred. He kindly offered to travel from his home in Wales to the SVR in mid-July in order to deliver a collection of vintage tools to me in person.
But when he came to visit the SVR, I was taken aback when he handed to me a beautifully hand-crafted and personalised toolbox! He’d modelled it on a genuine Victorian railwayman’s wooden tool case, complete with an internal storage rack, drawer and compartment containing the donated tools.
Matt and his wife Emma, who added the signwriting, must have gone to so much trouble to create this wonderful toolbox, and their generosity and kindness deeply moved me.
The story has attracted the attention of BBC Shropshire no less, whose reporter Ellen Knight came to see me at the station to record an interview. You can listen to her report here.
If you’d like to visit our hidden gem of a little station at Eardington, you’ll need to choose your time carefully! We’re only open to the public during special events such as the Autumn Steam Gala (19 to 22 September 2024) and the Autumn Diesel Gala (takes place 3 to 6 October 2024, with Eardington open on the Saturday and Sunday). Please come and see us and sample a cuppa, and arguably the best cake in Shropshire!
