Horse Brasses

The use of horses on the railways goes back to the birth of the iron roads themselves. Before the steam locomotive was invented, horse drawn vehicles on tracks were employed. As the industrial revolution progressed and railways grew exponentially, just about every company had a cartage section. Horse brass adornments on hames, bridles and general saddlery was prolific and today, with much surviving, has given the collector the opportunity to own, smaller, attractive items. Big Four brasses are quite common as are some of the bigger pre-grouping companies. Generally just company initials were engraved on the brasses and not crests or coats of arms.