LMS steam and long-lasting Class 47 diesels in Railwayana Sales’ line-up

LOCOMOTIVE railwayana from two distinct eras of Britain’s main line motive power will headline Railwayana Sales’email and telephone auction that runs from May 23-29, with a smokebox numberplate representing the older generation and three diesel nameplates the more modern era.

The numberplate is from LMS No. 45726 Vindictive, a Jubilee class 4-6-0 built at Crewe in October 1936 and withdrawn from Warrington Dallam (8B) in March 1965, while the trio of diesel nameplates are all from Class 47 Co-Co diesels.

They are Restive from D1603, Isle of Iona with accompanying badge carried by D1674, and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award from D1951. The class comprised 512 locomotives built by BR at Crewe and Brush

Traction at Loughborough between 1962-68, and today, more than half a century later, a number remain in service.

Station signs include BR(S) totem Woolwich Dockyard and SR target Folkestone Junction. The former was opened in July 1849 and is still open, served by Southeastern trains out of London Cannon Street and Charing Cross, while Folkestone Junction had something of an identity crisis during its 122-year existence.

It opened in December 1843 as Folkestone, but carried the Junction suffix on three separate occasions, from 1852-1858, 1863-1884, and finally from 1897-1962. It closed in September 1965, by which time it had changed its name yet again, to Folkestone East.

A second totem is BR(W) Didcot, location of the popular Didcot Railway Centre, and also going under the hammer is a BR(S) direction sign to London Road (Guildford) station.