Nine locos for auction

Announced on BBC "Look East" that a miniature railway at Audley End is to auction off nine of it's locos so that the resultant income will enable the line to stay open.

 

https://www.dreweatts.com/the-lord-braybrooke-collection-12-march/

 

I expect @big.stu will be affected by this, sadly

 

Some seriously nice pieces of kit there.

 

I don't think they've used any other steam locos except the two American ones for a few years now. They used to have an annual gala in September, but I don't think that's happened for about 6 years.

 

Is that a development of the Royal Scot class?

 

Would love to have the A4, she looks a beauty.

 

Very nice machines.

What gives the locomotives their valuation?

Rarity? Builder? Pedigree? Lineage?

I think what I'm trying to understand here is, what bearing does the quality of engineering have on the value of the machine?

 

Auction guide prices are just that - a guide. Sometimes taken from previous examples, but I've certainly seem stuff exceed guide prices fifty-fold, as I have seen stuff fail to make a tenth. Like all auctions, it depends on what interested parties are prepared to pay on the day. A company as long-established as Dreweatts will have a pretty sound idea though.

 

now then ,
there is no need for that! at least its not green.
if it fails to sell i will be on the phone no bother.

 

I will, in as much as some of the smaller 10Q locos have never been in ticket in my time since passing out as a steam driver, so I will never have the chance to drive them

Note that only four of the locos for sale are actually from the miniature railway, the other five are smaller gauge locos from Lord B's private collection.

They are Ian, and it will be a sad day for those of us involved at the railway

She is - possibly the best of the lot - exhibition quality.

Polar Star is interesting, as it is believed to be the only fine scale 10Q loco built by David Curwen. She can't run at the railway because the track is definitely not fine scale (it's hard work just pushing it through the shed point work!), and has spent most of her life on a plinth in the estate office.

Lord Braybrooke was steamed for the day of Lord B's funeral (alongside Bruce & SL), but not since. The smaller locos simply aren't powerful enough to handle the size of train we run on a regular basis now, so the big American outline locos are the workhorses. The last steam gala was actually three years back - I know because it was the only one I got to drive at (and even then I spent the whole weekend on Sara Lucy because it was the only loco I was passed out on at the time).

It is simply not cost effective to keep these locos in ticket for very occasional use on a railway which is now a fully commercial operation and no longer Robin's (Lord B) train set which he happened to run for the public. The capital released will allow investment in significant new facilities on site. It's not the first disposal - Western Thunderer, Saint Augustine & Loyalty have been sold in the past.

I did recently get to spend some time polishing the Atlantic with my son in preparation for the auction photos though:

 

Live steam auction estimates are frequently on the low side in my experience - not sure if it's just the auction houses playing it safe, or a ploy to tempt more people in because they think they may have a chance....

 

It's not clear whether the pedigree/lineage will have any influence (outside of those of us with connections to AEMR, Lord B or David Curwen), but David Curwen built locos do seem to have some appeal, and Polar Star is believed to be unique among those as a fine scale model.

In the end, it will all come down to who is in the room on the day....

 

As usual, journalists are over-stating the case - there is no danger of the railway closing (Nick the manager has already had to clarify this on Facebook).

What it does do is release capital tied up in assets which get little to no use any more, allowing further improvements/developments at the railway and it's associated attractions.

 

Interestingly some time ago Dreweatts sold some smaller gauge locomotives through their Newbury showrooms and I fell in love with a 7 1/4" Duchess. I attended a preview day and my wife was concerned that I would return and bid. It would have been to no avail as the locomotive went for £186,000 with all the add on costs. I look forward to seeing what the Star goes for.

 

Just to add - if anyone is interested in more information, they can contact Nick Emberson at the railway (see below for website with contact details) or Dreweatts...

Mark, one of the other drivers, put together this video of the locos in the auction: