About Us
About Joe & Junction Railwayana
I ( Joe Nemeth ) have been collecting railwayana for over forty years, specializing in signalling related items. I remember at about the age of 13 staging a model railway and relics exhibition during lunch time breaks in one of the reading rooms at school. This was held over 3 days and I managed to borrow various items from friends and staff as well as my own collection. Charging just 5p each I managed to raise over £150 which was donated to Oxfam via my teachers.
Being born in a well-known and respectable showman’s family, I was brought up in all aspects of the funfair. This included assembling and dismantling the various stalls and rides at the beginning and end of the seasons. My mother used to pay me one shilling in the pound wages and this went to adding items to my collection. One old gentleman who visited my father often was a collector of model railways and railway relics as it was known back then in the 1970s. He gave me some of my first items including a beautiful GWR brass lever plate with “South Wales” engraved on it. I still have it to this day more than 40 years on.
When I left school, I wanted to work on the Railways as a signalman but was unable to secure a job there, so I followed my next passion, which was engineering. I worked in many fields of the profession learning many skills.
I did eventually secure employment with British Railways in the early 1990s as a signalman. I held this position for nearly 7 years, working in all types of systems from Absolute block to track circuit block an everything in between. I eventually left the railways to start my own engineering business in 1997 and have developed two successful businesses which I still run today.
Joe Nemeth Engineering Limited designs, manufactures and overhauls all miniature railway locomotives and equipment from 7 ¼ “to 2-foot gauge.
Junction Railwayana is a much newer company which started around 7 years ago, although I have been buying, selling and swapping railwayman items for over 30 years as a collector. I decided to start Junction Railwayana as I saw this could form a good business to compliment the many auctions already running. I wanted to offer collectors a wide range of Railwayana items where they could simply just buy them.
The business has been growing from strength to strength and now employs 4 local people. Two years ago, we opened our first shop where customers could visit and browse the thousands of items we have in stock. Last year we managed to acquire the unit next door so extended the range of items we sell to heavy signalling equipment, signs, lamps posts and all manner of transport related items.
I have a large restoration workshop where hundreds of items are painstakingly cleaned and restored by my myself and my lovely wife Gosia. I have the honour of being the official restorer for Great Central Railwayana Auctions. I have restored locomotive nameplates, smoke boxes, cabsides, Diesel nameplates, totems, signs and all manner of signalling items.
Don’t forget we also buy, sell and part exchange all railwayana including signalling equipment, cast iron and enamel signs, lamps, transport memorabilia, vintage railways and toys. Please contact us with any items you may want to sell or acquire.
We strive to attend many of the Railwayana events throughout the year, so please look out of us and hope to see you soon.
Joes Wife Gosia in the workshop cleaning a block instrument in readiness to some French polishing. Gosia assists in the restoration of many items and also attends the many Railwayana shows across the country.
Salvage Hunters visited our site. Series 14 Episode 15
Joe with his collection including some fabulous totems
Gerry Davidson is our Medals and Badges expert and a long time friend of Joe, he also is a collector of Railwayana especially Signalling. Gerry has been a professional Railwayman of over 42 years firstly as a Signalman on the West of England mainline then Bristol Panel Signal Box. For the last 20 years he has worked as a Mobile Operations Manager.