Southern Railway eyes top spot with a King Arthur and Bulleid Battle of Britain Pacific

THE Southern Railway is set to head the charts in a Railwayana Sales auction that runs from January 2430, thanks to a two-pronged bid for the top by a King Arthur nameplate and a Battle of Britain smokebox numberplate.

The former is Sir Menadeuke from No. 30787, which was built by North British of Glasgow in September 1925 and withdrawn from Eastleigh (71A) in February

1959, making it one of the earlier ‘Scotch Arthurs’ to be taken out of service. The smokebox is from preserved No. 34070 Manston.

Last SR-built locomotive

This Battle of Britain class Pacific played a significant role in the history of the Southern Railway, as it was the last locomotive to be built by the company prior to Nationalisation, having been outshopped by Brighton Works in November 1947.

It was withdrawn from Exmouth Junction (72A) in August 1964 and is now owned by Southern Locomotives Ltd.

A second smokebox is from No. 92185, a Class 9F 2-10-0 that emerged from Swindon in January 1958 and was withdrawn from Immingham (40B) in February 1965 after a short life of just over seven years.

Other Swindon engines to feature are GWR Nos. 4927 Farnborough Hall and 4974 Talgarth Hall, with cabside numberplates from each going under the hammer. No. 4927 was built in May 1929 and withdrawn from Llanelly (87F) in September 1963, its 34 years in service thus being almost five times that of the 9F built in the same works nearly three decades later. No. 4974 entered service in January 1930, withdrawn from Gloucester Horton Road (85B) in April 1962.

Two station direction signs in the online auction are BR(W) Bicester London Road and an LNER example, there is a Hinksey South nameboard from a GWR signalbox near Oxford, and among other station signs are SR target Brookwood and totems representing three of the BR regions.