Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum, and this is my first post, so bear with me. My wife and I have just bought a house in Harton, Shropshire (UK) and back in the day the single branch railway used to run right through the garden where our house now stands. I guess the railway line was removed as a consequence of the Beeching report which saw many small branch lines in the UK close.

The old Station Building is my immediate neighbour, and part of the platform is still there in my garden. The Station building next door is now called 'The Ticket Office' and has been faithfully restored and is occupied by a tenant.

I have found the remains of an old railway truck under a very overgrown tree at the end of the garden where the platform remains, and digging around it I came across the item featured in the photos. Does anyone know what this is? I'm guessing it is railway related - it is very heavily built, has two vice jaws, and the handle is very worn in the hole where it sits. The odd thing is, the handle cannot be turned because it has a 'key' in a slot at the bottom of the hole which prevents it from rotating.

I can supply more details but hopefully someone can shed some light on it for me. Many thanks for taking the time to read this rather lengthy post...

Dave - the Cannon