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.
Julkia Rizzi states this Thistle brick was photographed as part of a coal-burning fireplace in a house in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. 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 John Barnard at Fitzroy, Falkland Islands. 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 Vladimir Smirnov for highlighting this brick to me which was found in the vicinity of the St. Petersburg Region, Gatchina Region, Russia by a brick collector, Alexander Korolev. It was discovered the stove of a private house. Stein, Castlecary Fireclay Works, Castlecary, Stirlingshire. Stein, Manuel Firebrick and Refractory Works, Whitecross, Stirlingshire. Stein &…
Found by Eddie McLean in the Glasgow area. 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 Eddie McLean in the Glasgow area. 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 Eddie McLean in the Glasgow area. 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 Eddie McLean in the Glasgow area. 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 Eddie McLean in the Glasgow area. This is a ‘hanger’ fire brick. The last number is unclear but it looks like a 2 with the ‘bottom’ missing. Stein, Castlecary Fireclay Works, Castlecary, Stirlingshire. Stein, Manuel Firebrick and Refractory Works, Whitecross, Stirlingshire. Stein & Co, Anchor Brickworks, Denny, Stirlingshire. Milnquarter Fireclay & Gannister Works,…
Found by Eddie McLean in the Glasgow area. 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 Gary Fritson on the River Tees at Middlesbrough. This example is not in my possession. Bonnybridge Silica & Fireclay Co Ltd, Bonnybridge. alt Calder Firebrick Works, Airdrie, Lanarkshire. alt Chapelhall Works, Lanarkshire. Hepworth Ceramic Holdings plc (GR-Stein Refractories Ltd. parent co) bought the Bonnybridge Silica & Fireclay Co. Ltd in 1972, closed Bonnybridge…
