Geography lesson from GCRA and a reminder of steam era Pullman luxury

LOCOMOTIVE nameplates representing a geographical spread from northeast Scotland to the Isle of Wight via Somerset are to feature in Great Central’s auction on March 5. In chronological order, they are Freshwater from a SR 0-4-4T, Farleigh Castle from the GWR, and Aberdonian from an LNER-designed and BR-built A1.

The 02 class tank engine emerged from the London & South Western Railway works of Nine Elms in south-west London in May 1890 as No. 181. It became W35 on its transfer to the Isle of Wight in May 1949, and was withdrawn from the island’s Ryde depot (70H) in October 1966 after more than three quarters of a century in service. The Castle, numbered 5027 and named after a 14th century partially-ruined fortified mansion near Frome, was built at Swindon in April 1934 and withdrawn in November 1962 when allocated to Llanelly (87F). The Pacific, No. 60158, was outshopped by Doncaster (works No. 2052) in November 1949 and withdrawn from the shed there (36A) in December 1964.

There is also a cabside numberplate from preserved GWR No. 7819 Hinton

Manor, one of whose nameplates sold at Great Central’s December 11 auction for a class record of £21,000.

Also among the 200 lots is a ‘Bournemouth Belle’ headboard from the steam era, when the iconic Pullman express was hauled by Bulleid Pacifics. I recorded this train at Basingstoke on September 9, 1959, when Merchant Navy No. 35025 Brocklebank Line came through with the Up working, and at the same location three days later when No. 35030 Elder Dempster Lines was in charge of the Down train.

The auction, the 12th in Great Central’s series of monthly sales, start at 10am and will be live online.