Following on from my theory that many fire bricks manufactured in Scotland were destined for the South American Railway Systems and were stamped with the initials of the individual railway companies, I also believe that some fire bricks were destined for the Indian Railway systems.
The bricks in question are:-
Below – GIPR – I believe that GIPR stands for the Great Indian Peninsula Railway.
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Below – EIR – I believe that EIR stands for the East Indian Railway.
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Below – MSMR – I believe that MSMR stands for Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway, India.
Below – I believe that JBR stands for the Jodhpur-Bikaner Railway, Rajasthan, India.
Below – Hurll NWR – I believe that NWR stands for the North Western Railway, India.
(Note – SBH – These bricks have been found on Canadian shores so were they stamped for use on Canadian Railways and not the Indian Railways. There is a Canadian Railway called Lacombe & North Western Railway (L & NWR).
Below – Hurll SIR 1922 – I believe that SIR stands for South Indian Railway. I do not know what the numbers 1922 relate to – possibly a date?
and ‘SIR’ – this was found in the High Bonnybridge, Bonnybridge area and may have been manufactured by one of several fire brickworks in that area.
Below – Hurll G1 RMR – This is possibly connected to the Indian Railways too, although the only reference I can find with regards RMR is as detailed below. This seems to refer to a Railway Station only and not a network so I suspect this is not what RMR stands for as its unlikely firebricks were made specifically for and marked for a single Station.
Ramnagar railway station is a small railway station in Amethi district, Uttar Pradesh. Its code is RMR. It serves Ramnagar city. The station consists of 1 platform. The platform is not well sheltered. It lacks many facilities including water and sanitation. The nearest airport is Pantnagar Airport at a distance of 55 km.
In 1907, during the British Raj, the railway line in Uttarakhand was extended from Moradabad to Ramnagar. Ramnagar railway station is under the administrative control of the Izzatnagar division of the North Eastern Railway zone of the Indian Railways. The station is located about 65 km from Nainital. It has direct rail links to Kashipur, Moradabad, Delhi, Bareilly, Lucknow, Haridwar, Chandigarh, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Agra, Jaisalmer and Varanasi. Source WIKI
Below – The following bricks may also be connected to the Indian Railway network but I cannot find any convincing references. Any ideas?
Below- GEM IRR – Manufactured at Castlecary Fireclay & Lime Works, Castlecary.
Below – 2 CUR and CUR 2 – Unknown manufacturer but most likely manufactured in the Bonnybridge or Glenboig area of Scotland.
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Below – BNR Starworks J*D Glenboig. Bengal Nagpur Railway, India. Click me.
Found by Ian Suddaby near Ravenscraig, Motherwell. This example is not in my possession. Ian states – It’s a shame the markings on many of these relatively modern basic bricks are so faint. At least I can just read this one. Why is the C a bit smaller? SPINELLA MC So this was made by General Refractories…
Found by Ian Suddaby near Ravenscraig, Motherwell. This example is not in my possession. Stein, Castlecary Fireclay Works, Castlecary, Stirlingshire. Stein, Manuel Firebrick and Refractory Works, Whitecross, Stirlingshire. Stein & Co, Anchor Brickworks, Denny, Stirlingshire. Milnquarter Fireclay & Gannister Works, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire.
Found by Ian Suddaby in Perth. This example is not in my possession. Stein, Castlecary Fireclay Works, Castlecary, Stirlingshire. Stein, Manuel Firebrick and Refractory Works, Whitecross, Stirlingshire. Stein & Co, Anchor Brickworks, Denny, Stirlingshire. Milnquarter Fireclay & Gannister Works, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire.
Found by Ian Suddaby in Perth. Perhaps the stamp is meant to read ‘Perth’ ? This example is not in my possession. Stein, Castlecary Fireclay Works, Castlecary, Stirlingshire. Stein, Manuel Firebrick and Refractory Works, Whitecross, Stirlingshire. Stein & Co, Anchor Brickworks, Denny, Stirlingshire. Milnquarter Fireclay & Gannister Works, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire.
Many thanks to Bruce MacDonald for the following photographs which were taken at The Sunbury Plantation House, St Philip Parish Barbados. All the bricks present were fire bricks and included English manufacturers such as Ruffors of Stourbridge, Cowen of Newcastle and Duddell of Fenton. 90% of the bricks present appear to have been stamped ‘Glenboig’….
Found by Ian Suddaby at the Manuel Works, Whitecross. This example is not in my possession. The example below is a hanger brick. Stein, Castlecary Fireclay Works, Castlecary, Stirlingshire. Stein, Manuel Firebrick and Refractory Works, Whitecross, Stirlingshire. Stein & Co, Anchor Brickworks, Denny, Stirlingshire. Milnquarter Fireclay & Gannister Works, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire.
Found by Ian Suddaby at the Manuel Works, Whitecross. This example is not in my possession. ST – Possibly stands for ‘Stein’. Note the reversed ‘S’. The example below is a hanger brick and although the manufacturer is not stamped, the find location is highly suggestive that this is a Stein product. Stein, Castlecary Fireclay…
Found by Ian Suddaby at the Manuel Works, Whitecross. This example is not in my possession. Stein made such bricks under licence. M. H. Detrick – The M.H. Detrick Company is a heat refractory manufacturing company, based out of Mokena, Illinois. The company primarily sells suspended refractory constructions and industrial heat enclosures to various businesses. Founded…
Graces Guide Information – Mini-conglomerate, of Glasgow; interests in packaging, wine, animal feedstuffs and engineering. 1960 Norcros launched a second associated public company, Scotcros, to handle Scottish businesses. 1961 Acquired Wilkie and Paul, makers of metal tins. 1962 Acquired Thomas Bishop, maker of commercial catering equipment and other engineering products. 1971 Acquired Unit Body Developments from RTZ Pillar and BPB Industries….
The following Scottish bricks were found by Tracie Perrie on the shore at Borden, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Below – ‘Glenboig’. Glenboig Union Fireclay Company, Glenboig, Lanarkshire. Alternative brickworks include: Glenboig Star Fireclay Works, Glenboig, Lanarkshire. Glenboig Fireclay Works, (Old Works) Glenboig, Lanarkshire Below – ‘Gartcraig Scotland Gaskil’. Gartcraig Fire Clay Works, By Millerston, Glasgow….
