An amazing and enormous model railway with 131 locomotives, dozens of vintage passenger carriages, 80 goods wagons and two breakdown cranes are being auctioned next Friday, 12th January.
It took more than 50 years for Ted Kenny, a printer from York and railway enthusiast, to build up the collection, and now it is being sold at a spectacular auction in Scarborough on Friday. Many of the locomotives haven't been run for decades, or even ever.
Ted Kenny was just a schoolboy when he got his first train set as a Christmas present in the late 1940s. The train set comprised just a locomotive, and a play worn small circle of track, but it triggered his passion for model railways that would last a lifetime.
Ted died three years ago, and his collection is being auctioned following the sale of his home that required the magnificent layout that filled one of its rooms to be dismantled.
Among the most valuable individual lots are two large 0 gauge locomotives made by Ace Trains of London – Southern Railway Schools Class locomotive Westminster in wartime black and a Stanier tank locomotive in late period BR passenger green. Both have pre-sale estimates of Ted Kenny £400 to £600, and the pre-sale prediction is that overall, the collection will make £8,500 to £10,000.
Pre-sale viewing sessions are at the Vine Street Salerooms in Scarborough next Wednesday, 10th, and Thursday, 11th January, the morning of the sale Friday, 12th January from 9.00 until the start of the auction at 11.00. A fully illustrated catalogue can be seen on the auctioneers website at www.davidduggleby.com.
David Duggleby auctioneer Graham Paddison said: “Ted's first train set was Hornby Dublo, the leading 00 gauge system in the period 1938-1964, and Dublo would remain his great passion. The magnificent layout that he eventually built at his home was three-rail Hornby Dublo and fifty-three of the locomotives going under the hammer are Dublo.
“Those include a pre-war model of the Class A4 Pacific Sir Nigel Gresley, a really early model thats actually almost as old as the real locomotive, as well as rarities such as the Deltic Diesel Co-Co St. Paddy or a Class AL-1 electric pantograph loco.
Graham added: “Ted's interest did also extend to two-rail 00 gauge and the larger scale 0 gauge model railway system and he hunted down many collectible locomotives – even though he never had layouts on which to run them.
“So the auction includes 38 Wrenn locos, 28 Hornby locos and a dozen 0 gauge locomotives that have simply been on display in Ted's home for decades. They haven't pootled around a circle of track since he acquired them.”
Hopefully the collection will make a good price for his beneficiaries.
My Partner has also built up a large collection of engines etc. Most have computer chips inside and run on that type of layout.
I think when you buy items for your hobbies or collections, keep in mind that the things are for your pleasure and happiness, so generally don’t treat it as an investment as it may or may not turn out to be one. If it gives you enjoyment and pleasure in your lifetime, that’s all that really matters.
To people who only had a simple train set as a kid that will seem enormous. To some collectors and modellers it won’t. It’s irrelevant though, I just hope the collection sells well for the family estate, the items go to good homes and continue to be appreciated.
That’s a very small collection. My father has amassed over 1500 locomotives alone, plus 5000 wagons and coaches. This is small fry
Mine’s bigger than yours dear me ,are we back in school
Really, someone has died and unfortunatley his past time has had to be split and sold off, wether its massive or small is irrellevant, have some respect here.
Sadly not being young enough to understand acronyms I had to look up pfft as quoted by James, I think the comment from Tony sums up my feelings. That is an enormous and diverse well loved collection, hope the auction is successful.
Pfft, that’s hardly enormous
Would it make you feel better if they used the word ‘large’?
Again as above reply