Trains, Tanks and Lifeboats...
Trains, Tanks and Lifeboats...
By Elizabeth Talbot
The next auction at TW Gaze dedicated to railwayana will be held on Tuesday 30 August. The following for this sale is very strong and attracts attention from far and wide. Specialist valuer Dan Woods has prepared another interesting selection of lots for enthusiasts, many of which have been submitted from a single East Anglian private collection. The choice includes railworkers’ clothing, lamps and lanterns, track sections, ephemera, tools, live steam model engines, and an intriguing selection of signs.
Amongst the 220 lots, two are worth a particular mention; both being fascinating nameplates. Lot 4159 is a rectangular steel BR Class 150/2 nameplate “Henry Blogg”, which was fitted to a Norwich-allocated Anglia TOU-operated locomotive no. 150 255, becoming the first of its class to carry a name. The naming ceremony took place on 8 July 1994, the event being the first of a series to twin Anglian TOU class 150s with local famous people. It was the result of a competition organised jointly between Anglia TOU and BBC Look East and the nameplate was unveiled by Mrs Rosemary Reason of Overstrand, who had nominated Henry Blogg. Henry Blogg was a famous Cromer lifeboatman in the late 19th/ early 20th Century, the most decorated lifeboatman in RNLI history, who was often referred to as “The Greatest of Lifeboatmen”. With the assistance of his crew, he saved 873 lives from the North Sea. There is a museum in his name in Cromer, North Norfolk. The unusual nameplate has his name at the bottom beneath a dot pictogram portrait. It carries an estimate of £800 – 1,200.
Lot 4154 is a BR Class 45 nameplate “Royal Tank Regiment”, ex D53/ 45041. It is metal backed and has an alloy front. Unfortunately, the regimental badge is missing and the painted lettering is slightly worn. Mr Wood explained, “This is one of a pair of nameplates that were once on the engine, surmounted by regimental royal crested emblems. Sadly, these have gone. However, the hope is that it will sell for £4,000 – 6,000.” He continued, “This nameplate is part of a collection we are selling from East Suffolk. Quite coincidentally, the partnering nameplate is being offered elsewhere in the country a few days later. Meanwhile, the original engine, was built at Crewe Works in 1962 and named “Royal Tank Regiment” in 1964, but after various works and repairs re-entered traffic in 1985 without its nameplates; it was then taken out of service in 1988 and passed through the hands of locomotive collector (and famous music producer) Pete Waterman, before being acquired for preservation by the Nene Valley Railway. It will be interesting to see if the nameplates are to be reunited.”
Fully illustrated catalogues can be viewed online twgaze.co.uk. Viewing the week before the sale and on morning of the sale (30 August), with the auction starting at 10am. Please note the Auction Rooms are closed on Bank Holiday Monday. Please contact Dan Woods for further information about valuations and consigning railwayana for future auctions. D.woods@twgaze.co.uk.
