Princess lives up to star billing and leaves a knight in her wake

NAMEPLATE Princess Alexandra lived up to its top billing in Great Northern's auction that ran from September 25 to October 12 when it went under the online hammer for £18,000.

The plate, sold with its works and tender plates, was from streamlined LMS Princess Coronation Pacific No. 46224, one of the first five in the class built at Crewe in 1937 to haul the newly launched ‘Coronation Scot' London-Glasgow express.

Its realisation was way ahead of the runner-up in the 678-lot sale, the smokebox numberplate from another Big Four locomotive, SR Lord Nelson class 4-6-0 No. 30864

Sir Martin Frobisher, which went for £2000. Station totem signs then came into the picture, led by London Midland Region pair Bollington (£1400) and Kirby Muxloe (£1000), although a BR(NE) ‘Ladies waiting room' enamel doorplate crept in ahead of the latter by selling for £1300.

Top signalling items were a Tyer's No.6 single-line brass and steel tablet from the Dunsland Cross-Holsworthy section of the LSWR Bude branch (£750), and a GNR somersault home signal post complete with all its original fittings (£700), while between the two at £730 was an English Electric Vulcan Works 1965 worksplate from Class 37 D6959/37259.

A painting by Chris Holland of LMS ‘Black 5' No. 45156 Ayrshire Yeomanry coming through the tunnels out of Liverpool Lime Street station fetched £650, followed by the smokebox numberplate 52207 from an 1893-built Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Class 11

0-6-0 that saw service for 68 years until its withdrawal by

BR in April 1961, its £600 selling price being matched by a BR(M) Hale station enamel fascia board and a North Eastern Railway ‘Greatham, Billingham, Stockton, Eaglescliffe' wooden destination board.

Other locomotive items included the whistle from Northern Counties Committee of Ireland U2 class 4-4-0 No. 83 Carra Castle (£550), and at £500 apiece, a cabside numberplate from GWR 0-6-0PT No. 1625 and a third smokebox numberplate, 48736 from an LMS Class 8F 2-8-0. Prices exclude buyer's premium of 10%.

Musing over the auction's performance, Great Northern's Dave Robinson said: “It went very well. I'm upbeat and all the way round, I'm very happy.”