GCRA spotlight on young and old as monthly live online series continues

YOUNG, middle-aged, and old will share the spotlight in Great Central's seventh monthly live online 200-lot auction on September 4.

From the young, there's a Class 60 diesel nameplate; from the middleaged there are GWR cabsides, a smokebox numberplate, and an Irish nameplate; and from the old, two pre-Grouping nameplates and a venerable worksplate.

Seniority first, so starting with the pre-Grouping nameplate contenders, there's Princess Augusta from GWR No.4058 and City of Liverpool from Great Central Railway No. 428, which was held over from the July sale.

No. 4058 was a Star class 4-6-0 built at Swindon in July 1914, withdrawn by BR from Wolverhampton Stafford

Road (84A) in April 1951, and named after a granddaughter of George III.

No. 428, one of six GCR Class 1 4-6-0s, was outshopped by Gorton in December 1913 and withdrawn from Immingham as LNER Class B19 No. 1493 in April 1947, thus failing to join No. 4058 into BR stock by a matter of months.

The pre-Grouping worksplate is an 1889 Sharp Stewart & Co (works No. 3466) plate from GWR No. 212, an ex-Barry Railway Class B 0-6-2T that was withdrawn by BR in July 1948.

Onto to the middle-aged and to Carra Castle, carried by Northern Counties Committee of Ireland U2 class No. 83, which was built for the LMSowned railway by North British Loco of

Glasgow in May 1925. Named after a 14th century ruin in County Antrim, the 4-4-0 was withdrawn in January 1956.

The GWR cabside numberplates from this era include 5958 from Knolton Hall, 1016 from County of Hants (one of its nameplates sold for £6000 in Great Central's July sale) and 3028 from an ex-Railway Operating Division 2-8-0. There's also the smokebox numberplate from No. 5944 Ickenham Hall.

Finally, the modern era, albeit to a nameplate with a hint of what has gone before. It is Great Whernside from Class 60 heavy freight Co-Co diesel No. 60020, which was built by Brush Traction in January 1991 and is still in service. The name has echoes of Whernside, carried by an earlier BR diesel, 1959-built Class 44 ‘Peak' D6/44006.

The auction starts at 10am, and in addition to being live online, will accept email, telephone and commission bids.