Hi everybody

[Walkingthedog]

They are Jouef point and signal switches. If your friend was anything like most of us he would have purchased all sorts of second hand bits and pieces from model railway shows.

[Mountain Goat]

Ah... I knew they were European....(Fleishmann were a similar colour and style but their switches seemed larger? Can't remember. I know Fleishmann had interesting relays and things as well... Is why I first thought of Fleishmann. Didn't think of Jouef, as my second guess would have been Marklin, though I seem to recall Marklin using red coloured plastic so it didn't quite fit the look...
Is funny when one has a rough idea of where one may have seen such things but can't quite remember where).