Vectis sale sees OO gauge locomotives reign again

The most recent General Toy sale at Vectis included some Danish fare: a Lego 375 Classic Knights Yellow Castle, to be exact. This was a rare, early item from the Knights/Castle Series and included mini figures and instructions, all of which were contained in a fair to good box with plastic compartments. Estimated at around £100, it was fought to £144. In contrast, a Mamod boxed Steam Roadster SA1, in generally good condition although in a poor box, found a new home for just £96. Another (surprising) highlight was the Dinky tinplate Filling and Service Station in red, yellow and green. Overall good, it was tentatively put at £40-50 but bidders thought otherwise, pushing it to an amazing £480.

In its Railway sale, the auction house achieved some staggering prices for locomotives. A Rapido Locomotion OO Gauge National Railway Museum Advanced Passenger Train (APT) Set was one of a limited edition and comprised a four car set, with an extra coach included. Still factory wrapped, it was mint with its limited edition certificate (1245 of 2000). Estimated at up to £300, it actually settled on £552.

The Kitbuilt O Gauge 2-6-0 loco and tender was a BR lined black Riddles Standard Class 4 No.76052, in two-rail Finescale electric. This had been professionally built and painted and was simply excellent as was its wooden carrying case. Build quality ensured a good sale and the pairing closed on £1,020. Finally, there was an Accucraft Trains Marches Models G Gauge (Ref ME0011) 2-4-0 Tank Loco "Isle of Man - Mona" in brown and lined in gold and black, bearing No.5, in two-rail electric format. It included full cab detail and was powered by a 24 volt Pitman gear head motor. Apparently unused, it was near mint and boxed. This doubled its estimate to reach £1,320 on the day.