LOCOMOTIVE COLLECTION FOR SALE

I have been a railway modeller from the age of five when my dad bought me a Hornby Dublo train set for my Christmas present and the hobby has stayed with me for 70 years. I now run trains in the garden and have experienced many aspects of the hobby from being a 'Deviationist' on the Ffestiniog Railway to becoming a Director and Trustee of the B17 Steam Locomotive Trust. This latter charity is dedicated to producing a new B17 steam locomotive to run on the main line. We believe that this locomotive is the missing link in the evolution of the steam engine under the influence of Nigel Gresley. It was designed for greater efficiency and to produce more power – a quest that is still relevant today.

Over the years, there have been a number of models of B17 locomotives produced and sold principally by Hornby and Bachmann. The general reproduction has been good and the models have focussed on the 'Footballers' as these are the names that are popular with the general public.

I know one or two members of the Trust who have owned several of the commercially-available models, but at the end of last year, I came upon something, which to my mind, is truly remarkable! Unfortunately, one of our elder members passed away and he very kindly left a legacy to the Trust in order to help with our new build project. This legacy included all of his model railway equipment as well as other property. The model railway collection amounted to over 240 OO gauge models, which will be sold, and the funds raised passed on to the Trust. Nothing terribly unusual about that even if we, in the Trust, are extremely grateful for any help offered to us. In addition, the collection included over 60 models of B17 Locomotives running in BR Livery.

While there were 73 B17 locomotives built, 10 of them were converted in later life to B2 Locomotives by removing the centre cylinder and modifying the running plate. Therefore, the collection contains a model of nearly every locomotive that remained a B17 at the end of its life. Some have had drain cocks added and some have had brake hoses added. All are painted in BR Brunswick green and have correct nameplates and running numbers. Each one has been modified from a Hornby or Bachmann model by hand using new nameplates. This is truly unique as I have never seen such a complete collection before. They are all in working order and come with their original boxes. Each nameplate has been individually etched to order and the running numbers have been amended using commerciallyavailable transfers. Where air pumps have been added, it reflects the locomotive and some have been professionally weathered. All of the 'Footballers' display the correct club colours beneath the name on the central splasher.

This collection of B17 locomotives will be offered for sale and anyone interested should contact b17enquiries@ gmail.com in the first instance as this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to acquire virtually all the B17 Class Locomotives together in perfect condition.

Larry Sampson – The B17 Steam Locomotive Trust