Castle holds the fort for GWR as Southern locomotives advance
CASTLE class No. 5076 repelled the advancing Southern Railway army to comfortably head GW Railwayana’s auction on July 24, when one of its Gladiator nameplates went under Simon Turner’s hammer for £18,200. The 1938-built 4-6-0 was originally named DrysllwynCastle, but was renamed in January 1941 and its first name given to classmate No. 7018.
A trio of Southern Railway nameplates in the chasing pack comprised Robert Blake from No. 30855 (£11,100), Portland Bill from No. 32038 (£9900), and Taw Valley from West Country Pacific No. 34027 (£9500), following which the LMS joined in the action with Cornwallis from Jubilee No. 45666 (£7200).
Bringing up the rear in the main line category were BlackwellGrange from No. 6806 (£6800), one of whose cabside numberplates sold immediately after for £3500, LambtonCastle (LNER Class B17 No. 61623 – £3600), and Hart Hall from GWR No. 7907, which went for £3150, followed by its cabside at £1300.
Diesels were right in the nameplate mix, including WesternMonarch and cabside from Class 52 diesel-hydraulic D1049 (£11,000) and Ivernia from Class 40 D221/40021 (£10,600), and another diesel success was a badge from Class 55 Deltic D9004/55004 Queen’s Own Highlander that sold for £8100.
Up there too was the leading station totem sign, BR(W) St Ives (£10,500), some way ahead of this category’s runner-up, BR(W) Bath Spa (£6300) and third-placed BR(S) Crowborough & Jarvis Brook (£4300).
The top London Underground roundel was Paddington (£4000), and from the LMS came a Peak Forest hawkeye that
