Class 52 ‘Westerns’ steal the slides and photographs show ahead of Cambrian coast and East Anglia images

The BR Western Region’s Class 52 diesel-hydraulics stole the limelight in a Justaclickago railway photographs, negatives and slides online auction that ran from February 22-28, although a selection of 1960s’ images that included steam provided stern opposition.

Top price of £580 went to a single lot of 50 black and white negatives of the class, followed by another 50 which sold for £540. These Co-Co diesels, nicknamed ‘Westerns’ due to every one of the of the 74 carrying two-word names, of which the first was Western, were built at Swindon and Crewe between 1961-64. All had been withdrawn by 1977, and seven have survived into preservation.

Variety

The images were the work of highly respected railway photographer

John Vaughan, and were taken in 1976 at various locations in the west country, south Wales, and London.

A second realisation of £540 was achieved by 130 colour slides of steam, stations, and railtours in the 1960s, which included images of Flying Scotsman, Bridport and Minehead stations, and such locations as the Cambrian coast and East Anglia. Prices exclude buyer’s premium of 15%.