Diesel heads the march of the main line, and LU platform roundels flex their muscles

DIESEL and steam were among the pre and post-nationalisation successes in the Transport Auctions of London sale at Croydon on February 29. In the lead was nameplate Temeraire from Class 43 ‘Warship’d851, which went for £4500, while a 1930 worksplate from GWR 0-6-0PT No. 7760 fetched £500.

The Class 43 was built by North British Loco (NBL) of Glasgow (works No. 27980) in July 1961 and withdrawn from Newton Abbot (83A) in May 1971, and No. 7760 was coincidentally another NBL product (works No. 24048). It was withdrawn by BR from Oxford shed (81F) in December 1961, sold to London Transport, renumbered L90, and withdrawn a second time in 1971, by which time it was one of the last steam engines on the Underground.

Padstow steam

Between this pair came two Southern Railway posters, a 1947 issue promoting the west country by Eric Hubbard (1892-1957) featuring a steam train approaching Padstow (£1900), and another from a year earlier by Norman Wilkinson (1878-1971) of steamship TS Invicta leaving Dover (£700). In the same price territory was a Great Northern Railway (Ireland) poster of a railcar passing Lough Erne (£750).

London Underground platform roundels and bullseyes were also flexing their muscles, with Piccadilly Circus fetching £4200, Oxford Circus £1500, Bank £900, and East Finchley £800. The last-named was believed to have dated from 1939, when the former LNER station became part of the Northern Line.

Underground poster maps also kept the bidders busy, led by a 1947 issue at £1700, closely followed by another from 1955 at £1600, both of which featured the Harry Beck diagrammatic style. A pre-beck example from 1927, bearing the stamp of the LNER advertising department, went for £750. Still on the subject of Beck, a first edition Underground diagrammatic pocket map dating from 1933 sold for £900. Prices exclude buyer’s premium of 16%.

Highest ever

Transport Auctions of London director Michael Wickham said the near £100,000 total hammer price of the auction was the highest he had achieved in 13 sales.“we were particularly pleased because, having moved to a larger saleroom, more than 100 people attended, another record.

“Almost all areas were strong, the highlights obviously being Temeraire and the Piccadilly Circus platform roundel, this being what we believe to be the highest price ever for an Underground sign.”