Railway signs on track to make £100s
SIX weeks after a collection of toy trains and carriages sold for £45,000, Cirencester auctioneers Moore Allen & Innocent are hoping some unique full-size railway memorabilia attracts as much interest.
The four signal box signs were saved from the skip by a railway employee during the 1970s, as manual signal systems on the Great Northern mainline were replaced by electronic systems.
The vendor, who now lives in the Cotswolds, was the last signalman at Holloway North Up, which regulated trains into King's Cross and closed in 1971, at Wood Green Down Box No 3, which closed in 1973, and at Crews Hill, on the Wood Green to Hertford branch line, which was abolished in 1974.
In each case he asked for, and was given, the signal box signs as a memento. Each of the signs are believed to be the original fittings, and could be up to 150 years old. The signs carry an estimate of £300 to £400 each.
And from steam-power to wind-power, the little and large of bellows will be going under the hammer.
A six-foot long pair of forge bellows, made of iron, elm and leather, dates from the late 19th or early 20th century, and would have kept the fires burning at a Cotswold blacksmiths.
Today, the tool – although in working condition – serves little more than a decorative purpose. Auctioneer Philip Allwood says he has seen a similar one converted into a coffee table. A bid of £50 to £80 should secure the lot.
The auctioneers will also be offering for sale a tiny set of powder bellows, used in the late 18th or early 19th century for spraying white powder onto wigs or faces for formal occasions. At approximately six inches long, this beech, brass and leather artefact also carries an estimate of £50 to £80.
Also on the small side is an Edwardian quarter-sized slate-bed snooker table, which converts conveniently into a six-seater dining table with the addition of a matching table top.
Originally retailed by H Spiers & Co of Herne Hill, London this innovative piece of furniture, measuring approximately six feet long, comes with original cue rack, score board and cues. A bidder with £300 to £500 should be able to pocket the lot.
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