Members of the Cumbria Industrial History Society were given a guided tour of the West Cumberland Railway Museum in St Bees by curator Peter Rooke.

The museum at 24 Main Street started life as a college for theological students, has been a police station, orphanage and a variety of shops until Peter Tooke took it on as a base for his railway collection in 2014.

Railways with freight and passengers services pulled by steam locomotives arrived in what is now Cumbria in 1838 in the form of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway.

There is an example of a time recorder which made sure railway workers “clocked on” and the right time in Carlise and other pieces of wooden craftsmanship and mechanical ingenuity called block instruments which used to be a common sight in all signal boxes.

There are plenty of items bearing the “FR” initials of the Barrow-based Furness Railway, including a staircase baluster from the old station building at Whitehaven Bransty and an ice scraper.

Some items got dated as well, including a rail chair – used to hold lengths of track in place – from 1910 which was used by the Furness Railway at Moor Row in West Cumberland.

The company also liked people to know what land it owned and to warn them to keep out.

A trespass iron sign from December 1909 warns of a 40 shilling (£2) fine.

Maroon enamel “totem” platform signs of the 1950s for places such as Barrow, Askam, Sellafield and Cark are on show and a “bullseye” sign from Millom.

More unusual railway station survivals include a heavy cast iron and wall-mounted drinking fountain which has a metal drinking cup attached to it with a length of heavy duty chain.

These were designed for the North British Railway and used at stations such as Carlisle.

There is a pair of large wooden signal box boards for Park South, near Barrow and Plumpton, near Ulverston.

A certificate from 1953 was awarded by the London Midland Region of British Railways to Barrow’s Gang 13 for its high standard to track maintenance.

Historic papers, plans and documents reveal details of how the railways in Cumbria were financed, built and operated.

The museum is normally open one week every month with details available by sending an email to petergrooke@btinterest.com or follow the museum on Facebook.

The next opening session at the museum is on Wednesday, August 23, to Saturday, August 26, from 10am to 4.30pm. Entry is free.