Railwayana

Geoff Courtney's regular column.

HERITAGE modern traction took the chequered flag for the second successive Great Central monthly auction, when Western Ruler swept to victory on May 15 and so left steam to gain the lesser places. The plate, which sold with its cabside numberplate for £12,000, was from Class 52 dieselhydraulic Co-Co D1050, a January 1963 Crewe product that was withdrawn in April 1975 with 1,176,000 miles on the clock. Its success follows that of Druid from Class 42 ‘Warship' D815 that went for £9800 to head GCRA's April 10 sale.

Behind Western Ruler came Draycott Manor from GWR No. 7810 and Gwalior from LMS Jubilee No. 45589 at £9600 and £9400 respectively, while both companies headed other categories, the GWR with a cabside numberplate from No. 7820 Dinmore Manor (£2600) and the LMS with the smokebox numberplate from Jubilee No. 45565 Victoria (£3600). Another four-figure smokebox numberplate was 41974 from an LMS Class 3P 4-4-2T (£1400).

Talking of cabsides, electric traction weighed in with E3028 from a West Coast Main Line 1960-built Class 83 Bo-Bo that fetched £2200, and close behind at £2100 came a 1961 BR Derby worksplate from Class 45 ‘Peak' 1Co-Co1 D25 and, in the same category, a 1960 English Electric plate from Class 37 D6708 (£1800).

The leading non-locomotive item was, predictably, a station totem sign, BR(W) Machynlleth, home of shed 89C (£3500), while three other regions, London Midland, Eastern, and Southern, followed with Church & Oswaldtwistle (£1550), Cavendish (£1350), and Hove (£1250).

Policemen's tipstaffs are currently one of railwayana's more unexpected hot items – a London & Birmingham Railway example sold for £3400 at GCRA's April 10 sale – and this auction continued the theme, with a GWR example fetching £1800 and another, inscribed Manchester & Leeds Railway Co, £1500.

More mainstream were a Tyer's single line tablet from the ChelfhamBlackmoor section of the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway (£1500), a BR(E) Black Horse Road station direction sign (£1350), and a GWR 12in dial dropcase wall clock, which went for £1250. Prices exclude buyer's premium of 15% (+ VAT).

GCRA auctioneer and director Mike Soden said of the sale: “Even though a diesel nameplate was the top seller, what was most noticeable were the two steam nameplate prices, which hinted at a revival in this sector. Also, this was our fourth monthly auction, but we are maintaining the buoyancy of the first held back in February.”