Model Railway & Railway Memorabilia / Collectables
Until the 1960s the railway was the primary transport in Britain. It seems that every black and white film and novel from the middle of the last century featured railway travel. In many classics, it seems the railway played a supporting role; see, Brief Encounter, The Railway Children, Goodnight Mr. Tom, Doctor Zhivago, From Russia with Love, St Trinians and of course Murder on the Orient Express! The railway was romantic, exciting, the only way to travel to a different world, even if it was only four stops!
You would have to pay good money to experience the romance and excitement of a train journey now, certainly romance is limited on the Cardiff to Colwyn Bay journey. But one can experience railway romance and nostalgia at home.
Over the years, we have visited many railway enthusiasts homes with their expansive model lay-out and related antiques. The fantasy railway room will include a huge layout, with engines and rolling-stock in period livery, old stations, and lots and lots of detail… platform signs, figures, trees, fences, landscape and sheep, there are British Rail signs, genuine antique platform posters (advertising the nostalgic traditional British seaside holidays with buckets and spades), there are carriage-lamps on the shelves and most important of all a genuine engine plate from a locomotive.
With auctions we can fulfil our nostalgic railway dreams. However, those that think that looking back affectionately at the past is but a British trait, I can warn you that there is competition across Europe and America for those extra special nostalgic railway items.
But many items are affordable and certainly the fantasy can start with a few pounds. The layout and track can be bought quite cheaply and some of the posters too can be affordable. But engine-plates with famous names and good platform signs for popular stations are at a premium. Engines and rolling stock can be bought reasonably cheaply unless you want to buy the rarest and the best.
The most memorable train we have sold so far was a rare Marklin locomotive which steamed off its £40 to £70 estimate and eventually pulled-up at a staggering £8000. Yes, we got the estimate wrong! But the power of the internet ensured that the rare prototype (as it turned out) broke records, with two bidders in Europe battling it out for the honours.
Watch the video of Charles Hampshire selling this little gem on our You Tube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db5jZ1rYk0U
If you search our website with the word ‘railway’ you will see that we have a long and fruitful history in this category. We regularly sell all the pre-eminent model manufacturers including Hornby, Hornby-Triang, Wrenn, Bachmann, Lima and Marklin. We have also sold a superb collection of Basset Lowke some years ago – considered the Rolls Royce of modelling. We have auctioned numerous signs, platform posters and lots of hardware such as lamps.
Below is a selection of railway related antiques we have sold at our salerooms in the recent auctions with prices noted.
Railway items can be valued free of charge without obligation. Please contact:
North Wales - Stephen Roberts stephen.roberts@rogersjones.co.uk
South Wales - Philip Keith philip.keith@rogersjones.co.uk
West Wales - Charles Hampshire charles.hampshire@rogersjones.co.uk
