A number of years ago the Society magazine carried an April Fool piece suggesting the FR was to follow the example of the Big Railway and start carrying advertising on the sides of the carriages. A doctored photo showed the Engine Side (*) of buffet carr. 103 decked out in Purple Moose branding.
We thought this would be a great joke to try out on the unsuspecting public at exhibitions with Dduallt.
The way we did it was very simple. We scanned the magazine photo and through trial end error managed to reduce the image to the exact dimensions of our model of 103. Then we simply printed it onto ordnary paper, cut it out and blu tacked it onto the side of the model (It didn't damage the paintwork at all).
It was only on the one side of the model and it stayed like that for many years giving much amusement to those 'in the know' who saw it at exhibitions.
* Engine Side. On the FR vehicles are said to have an Engine Side and a Clock Side. It relates to the interior of the Old Erecting Shop at Boston Lodge Works.
As you look in from the yard on the far right of the shop is where the original engine to power the line shafting was sited. And over towards the left hanging from the rafters is a clock. As locos and stock are rarely turned on the FR each side can be referred to as to which would be facing the Clock or the Engine as it would be as it sat in the works.
The clock also has an interesting history. The usual numerals
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Have been replaced with
J O L L Y G O O D F U N
Why? It's a long story, but the jist of it is during a bout of mild industrial discontent in the 1970's a very senior company figure told the staff that they shouldn't mind about long hours and low pay because, after all, it was "Jolly Good Fun". Un-impressed, to say the least, by this response a witty worker decided to alter the clock face thus and it has remained so to this day.
Another reminder of the unique spirit of the FR.
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