Southern collectors enjoy Templecombe gathering

THE Gartell Light Railway in Templecombe was an ideal setting for Talisman Railwayana’s saleroom auction on October 15, thanks to five Southern Railway nameplates finding new homes, smokeboxes being led by a West Country class Pacific, and an LBSCR pattern handlamp and a‘Golden Arrow’ locomotive embellishment making their presence well and truly felt.

Three of the nameplates that made it into five figures were Seaton with West Country Class scroll from No. 34020 that went for £13,000,

Lamport & Holt Line from Merchant Navy No. 35026 (£11,500), and

Exmoor with scroll from another WC engine, No. 34022 (£10,000).

Providing support to this trio were

The Needles from H2 class Atlantic No. 32423 at £7000 and Dulwich from Schools class No. 30907 (£5000), leaving three unsold under the hammer, Kenley with RAF badge from Battle of Britain No. 34068, Sir Ector de Maris from King Arthur No. 30794, and North Foreland from another H2, No. 32422.

However, the King Arthur sold after close of play for £8500, as did late entrant Mendip from GWR Duke class No. 3288 (£3500).

The leading smokebox numberplate, with a realisation of £4600, was 34004 from West Country Pacific Yeovil, followed by plates from No. 34022 (£3200) and Standard Class 2MT No. 84020 (£1750), while the southern theme was continued by a Lewes & East Grinstead Railway LBSCR-pattern handlamp that sold for £6300 and a ‘Golden Arrow’ arrow embellishment that went under the hammer for £6000.

Another steam locomotive category winner was GWR cabside numberplate 4085 from Berkeley Castle (£2500), closely followed at £2200 by South African Railways 3407 from a 1953 North British of Glasgow-built Class 25NC 4-8-4,

Station signage was headed by BR(W) totem Briton Ferry and BR(S) Templecombe at £3800 and £2700 respectively, with SR target Ryde Esplanade not far behind at £2400.

Southern Railway poster duo ‘Sunset over Guernsey’ by Charles Pears and ‘Ramsgate’ by Adrian Allinson brought vibrant colour to the proceedings, selling for £2900 and £2200, and a collection of 212 pre and post-Grouping and BR tickets from the Somerset & Dorset Joint line illustrated the enduring appeal of this railway with a realisation of £1700.

The early diesel era also played its part, headed by nameplate Thunderer

with badge from 1968-built Class 50 D408/50008 (£9200) and

William Cookworthy from Class 37 D6864/37675, which entered traffic in 1963 (£3000).

Another Class 50 plate, Agincourt

from D413/50013, did not sell in the auction but did so subsequently for £10,000. Prices exclude buyer’s premium of 15% (+ VAT).

Talisman’s Roger Phipps said: “It was our best auction ever. Considering the current economic downturn, we were delighted to sell 10 of the 12 nameplates.

“Handlamps and local station signs did particularly well, and even a GWR locomotive safety valve bonnet that was used as an additional seat during the auction sold for nearly four figures!”