Sale of Railway Fittings

A sentimental sale or simply for profit? British Railways sells off the history that doesn't fit with the swinging sixties.

With items dating back to the 1840s being ripped out of railway stations across the network British Railways realised that there were collectors willing to pay for what they considered to be outdated junk. Lionel Hampden reports from Derby in 1964 and views some of the relics that will not survive the era of Beeching and modernisation. From gas lamps to iconic name plates - a train enthusiast's ultimate dream: to own a piece of railway Victoriana.

Considering the sheer number of now collectable artefacts on display here it is interesting to note that the sale was the result of the closure of only two lines: Burton to Leicester and Derby Friargate to Nottingham Victoria.