Auction Boosts Isle of Wight Steam Railway’s 40th Anniversary Appeal

123 Lots … 100 Bidders … Over £3,000 Raised!

The first of two fund-raising auctions at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway raised over £3,000 for the Railway’s 40th Anniversary Year Appeal.

Staged at Havenstreet Station yesterday (Sunday 15th May) the auction was kindly organized and run by well-known Island auctioneer and Steam Railway supporter Tim Smith and his team from Island Auction Rooms.

All of the lots were donated by friends, supporters and business suppliers of the Steam Railway and ranged from old enamel signs to household goods and furnishings, plus a variety of ‘money-can’t-buy’ experiences. These included a ‘Hawk Walk’ donated by Haven Falconry, a ‘Flight-Deck Experience’ with Hovertravel and a ‘Bembridge Lifeboat Experience’!
 
“We were extremely pleased with the generosity of friends, suppliers, railway members and supporters in donating so many items,” commented IW Steam Railway General Manager Peter Vail. “Tim Smith our auctioneer kept it moving along with considerable humour, and pushed-up the bidding at every opportunity to ensure more funds were generated for our Appeal!”
 
The IW Steam Railway’s 40th Anniversary Appeal is seeking to raise a total of £40,000 this year to enable a re-styling of Wootton Station into a typical IW Central Railway terminus of the early 1900s, recreating and bringing to life this long-forgotten era in Island railway history.

The Railway is staging a second auction in conjunction with Island Auction Rooms on the afternoon of Sunday 29th May. The Auction of Railwayana will feature over 150 lots with items of particular interest to collectors and railway enthusiasts. Lots will include a mainline locomotive nameplate of significant interest to collectors, various paintings including a number of signed Cuneo prints, various railway signs and books, and a number of special experience days. The full auction catalogue will be available on the Auction of Railwayana event page on this website soon.