In the market for a railway coach? The stock being auctioned off by Llangollen Railway administrators
Do you fancy owning your own railway coach, maybe a diesel shunter or even a crane or a fork lift truck?
Online bidding is under way for items being sold off by the administrators of the Llangollen Railway PLC, which declared itself insolvent earlier this year.
The company was the day-to-day management arm of the heritage railway.
It blamed problems with engineering contracts for its financial woes.
It was insolvent to the tune of £350,000 – £250,000 of which was said to be those contracts.
However the Llangollen Railway Trust remains fully solvent and has reached an agreement with the administrators to buy the business and certain assets, ensuring its future.
The trust is also looking at the items up for auction and could make bids for key items, such as at least one carriage with accessible adaptation, function coach, road railer, telehandler and a 12-ton crane.
“We have been very encouraged and gratified by all the support received in our fundraising efforts and thank everyone who has contributed. Including promises, funds raised to date are approximately £85,000,” Phil Freeth, from the trust, said.
None of the steam locomotives that are used on the railway were owned by the Plc and so do not feature in the auction catalogue, neither do the diesel units sometimes used.
However there are railway 10 coaches that will come under the online hammer in the auction that ends on May 12.
A range of coaches of different livery and age, they include at least one that is accessible for wheelchairs and even a function coach complete with a bar and a dance floor.
They all have a starting bidding price of £12,000.
There are diesel shunters and other utility vehicles used on the tracks that will also go under the hammer.
Many of the auction items are from an engineering department at the Llangollen railway, with lathes from £800 to £2,000 and grinders, vices and milling machines on offer.
Those interested can bid online through specialist auctioneers, Lambert, Smith, Hampton.
What's up for sale?
For £12,000 you can make a bid for a number of railway coaches, for example a British Rail, Mark 1 type SK coach with 65 seats in blue moquette and two toilets or a British Rail Mark 1 type TSO coach with 55 seats and two bench seats in red chain link moquette.
For £2,000 you can bid for a British Rail type General Utility Vehicle box van bogie in maroon livery.
If you have £7,000 you can make a bid for a diesel shunter – it runs but does lose coolant and needs a full, bottom-end overhaul.
A 50-ton, rail-mounted crane is up for auction with a starting bid of £8,000 while in the engineering department you can put in a bid from just £30 for a steel bench with its contents of milling cutters, chucks, V blocks and machine vice.
For £800 you can make a bid for a Colchester Triumph, 2000TR gap bed lathe
