BR Loco Depot Plaques - Fake or Real?

This is a brief guide to British Rail Locomotive Depot Plaques and hints for purchasing them. A good history of the plaques' introduction and types can be found at a number of informative resources. Google "depot plaques" or have a look at www.depotplaques.com.There are principally two types - the traditional diamond shape with raised border and raised decal, and a type designed specially for use on RES locomotives which were just an outline of the decal with no border. The plaques were cast in an aluminium based alloy, the more common non-RES plaques usually had a black painted background and border with polished decal and border, the RES plaques were fully polished (as they have no background to paint! Both have unfinished backs with no casting stamps, lettering or numbers.The plaques started to be removed from locomotives upon the privatisation of BR and particularly when EWS came on the scene as they rebranded their loco fleets.When purchasing depot plaques today, several terms are used which in some instances are misleading and perhaps require clarification:Ex-Loco: This obviously implies the plaque has been fitted to a loco and is typified by a grubby appearance with some corrosion to the polished surfaces, particularly the rear, which may be heavily pitted and corroded where it has been in contact with the loco body. In some instances the fixing bolts may still be in place or the fixings holes have been enlarged and damaged where the previous fixings have been drilled out so the plaque can be removed. Obviously if the plaque has only been carried for a short period there will be little signs of wear and tear. If the plaque has been carried for any length of time the polished surface will have discoloured - particularly with brake dust contamination. Some plaques sold today are described as ex-loco which is as best mis-leading and worst an out and out lie. Common practices include leaving the surface to become discoloured or lightly tarnished and scoring or damaging the fixing holes to give the impression the plaque has been removed from a loco. As ever the back can tell you much more - if it is clean or only lightly tarnished this is not a good sign that the plaque has been carried. Some examples of genuine carried plaques are contained below. The two photos far left some the face condition of ex-loco plaques and the two photos far right show the rear of ex-loco plaques: Ex-Stores: This definition is somewhat pointless now - originally the term was coined to describe genuine plaques commissioned by BR that were never fitted to locos and languished in the stores of the depot or in the manufacturer's own stores. In other words these were plaques specifically made to be fitted to locos but never were. They can be characterised by being lightly tarnished and grimy but evidently never on a loco. The term ex-stores today can be used to describe any non-carried plaque, be it one that was made for BR and one made as a reproduction. There were some original depot plaques made by Newton Replicas that were never fitted. These ended up being surplus to requirements from when they were made and fitted in volume. The current owners of Newton Replicas dont know how many there were or which ones.Fakes