London North Eastern Railway (LNER) nameplates from the retired InterCity 125 fleet have raised more than £12,000 for charity as enthusiasts bid for their own piece of East Coast history in an online auction.
Three famous names from the iconic Intercity 125 High-Speed Train (HST) fleet, which was retired in 2019, went under the hammer, with proceeds from the sale going to LNER’s partner charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM).
The organisation works to prevent suicide, the single biggest killer in men under 45 in the UK. It says it has seen an unprecedented demand for its helpline services since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
The nameplates raised £12,300 with 43274 Spirit of Sunderland proving most popular, fetching £4,600. 43208 Lincolnshire Echo sold for £4,000 and 43257 Bounds Green for £3,700.
David Horne, LNER Managing Director, said: “We know these pieces of railway history are sought-after and we’re delighted that they have raised so much money at auction.
“CALM’s helpline services have seen unprecedented levels of demand over the past 16 months and we are aware of just how important their work is.
“Money raised from this auction means CALM will be able to offer support to even more people who need it.”
The auction comes after seven HST nameplates and a crest celebrating the heritage of the East Coast route raised £41,000 for CALM in 2020.
Auctioneers say record prices were reached for Class 43 HST nameplates last November, with 43308 Highland Chieftain proving most popular selling for £13,900.
Nameplates 43274 Spirit of Sunderland, 43208 Lincolnshire Echo and 43257 Bounds Green from one side of the power car raised a combined total of almost £10,000, with the three remaining plates fetching £12,300 in a one-off sale on 24 July.
In advance of the auction, LNER colleagues were pictured holding the nameplates beside the famous record-breaking Class 43 power car 43102 ’The Journey Shrinker’, which has been donated to the National Railway Museum for its Locomotion site at Shildon in County Durham by Porterbrook.
The proceeds of the sale will be added to more than £300,000 LNER has already raised for CALM since the start of the pioneering partnership in October 2018.
Simon Gunning, CEO of CALM, said: “We’ve been bowled over by LNER’s generosity, and the continued success of the nameplate auction. Money raised will go towards supporting CALM’s life-saving helpline that since lockdown has answered over 197,000 calls and chats. That is a call for help every 61 seconds.We’ll continue to be there for people who might be struggling, or at the point of crisis point-no matter what.”
Photo credit: LNER
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