Railwayana: All to play for as first XI vies for top honour

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With no apparent standout candidate in their category, the 11 main line nameplates have it all to play for at Great Central’s sale at Stoneleigh on September 2.

Numerically, the selection is being led by the GWR with five, followed by the LNER with two, one apiece for the SR, LMS, and Standards, and a sole representative from across the Irish Sea.

The Great Western quintet comprises County of Cardigan (No. 1008), Downton Hall and its classmate Trematon Hall (Nos. 4994 and 5949), Overton Grange (No. 6879, the last of the class to be built, in May 1939), and Lydford Castle from No. 7006.

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Across to the LNER, there’s Galopin from A3 No. 60076 and Happy Knight (A2 No. 60533), each named after a Classics winner, while the SR and LMS contenders are respectively Sir Harry le Fise Lake (King Arthur No. 30803) and British Honduras from Jubilee No. 45602.

The BR Standard banner is being carried by Charles Dickens (Britannia Pacific No. 70033), and finally comes Galteemore from Great Northern Railway (Ireland) Class S 4-4-0 No. 173, built by Beyer Peacock in Gorton in 1913 for the Belfast-Dublin route and withdrawn in 1964.

The name, from a 3015ft mountain in south-west Ireland, is not to be confused with Galtee More from LNER A3 No. 60049, named after a thoroughbred that won three Classic races in 1897 and which was itself named after the mountain, but with a different spelling. Do keep up at the back.

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Among the headboards are ‘Cambrian Coast Express’ (pictured) and ‘The Aberdonian’ King’s Cross-Aberdeen sleeper express.

Read more in Issue 232 of HR – on sale now!


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