The Forsythe Collection refers to a collection of railway and transport

ephemera Ephemera are transitory creations which are not meant to be retained or preserved. Its etymological origins extends to Ancient Greece, with the common definition of the word being: "the minor transient documents of everyday life". Ambiguous in ...

owned and curated by transport enthusiast Robert Forsythe and his wife, Fiona. The collection is extensive and includes materials in three public repositories. Of the material now in public ownership or curation, the largest collection is in the

National Railway Museum The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the Science Museum Group. The museum tells the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It is the home of the national collection of historically significant r ...

at York's

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Archive. The central theme of the collection is the ephemera of travel and transport, especially driven by the recognized concept of

Grey Literature Grey literature (or gray literature) is materials and research produced by organizations outside of the traditional commercial or academic publishing and distribution channels. Common grey literature publication types include reports (annual, rese ...

Origins

The Forsythe Collection likely traces its origins to the early 20th century. James Forsythe (1916-2004), father of Robert Forsythe (1959-), grew up traveling within the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

, developing an interest in stamp collecting. Robert Forsythe started to collect railway timetables in 1971, and the earliest letters establishing this collection survive at the Norfolk Record Office. Both of those historic collections remain part of the Forsythe Collection. As Robert Forsythe pursued a career as a museum curator, he married Fiona Forsythe, a librarian. Together, they established a network of contributors and developed what the railway community recognized as a significant and remarkable collection. During house moves, certain items from the family's collections found their way to public repositories. Notably, the Papers of Major James A. Forsythe, MBE (1916-2004), are housed at the Norfolk Record Office and the Cambridge University Centre of South Asian Studies.

Transfer to National Railway Museum

The transfer of materials from the Forsythe Collection to the National Railway Museum at York occurred in two instances, first in January 2009 and then again in January 2012. Approximately 100 meters of shelved material were moved during these transfers. The focus of the transfer was on the grey literature components of the Forsythe Collection, specifically related to Transport and Travel ephemera, as designated at the museum. This included items such as timetables, leaflets, handbills, and brochures, but generally excluded items covered by ISBN (International Standard Book Number), such as books and guidebooks. Additionally, posters, tickets, postcards, and extensive model railway interests were not included in the transfer and remained under the possession of the Forsythe family. Subsequently, materials were used in the first APP generated at the museum. Another selective mention is of the material used in The Track Stars Exhibition in 2012.

Origins

Transfer to National Railway Museum

References

Further reading