Transport Geeks... Look At All This Stuff You Could Own

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By M@ Last edited 70 months ago

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Transport Geeks... Look At All This Stuff You Could Own

Fancy owning a platform sign from King's Cross? How about a first edition Harry Beck tube map? Then head to Croydon (or online) on 1 July 2018.

The huge sell-off of transport collectables will take place courtesy of Transport Auctions of London. The specialist auction house holds three sales a year, catering for a growing demand in such items.

This 1879 map of London's early Underground lines comes ready-framed.

The current sale includes early railway maps, London street signs, posters dating back to 1904, colourful enamel signs from London's buses and Underground (a bus stop for your back garden, perhaps, or a tube station sign for your wall?), destination signs from tube trains, bus conductors' ticket machines and much more.

The event takes place on Sunday 1 July at the Croydon Park Hotel, a few minutes' walk from East Croydon station. Doors open for viewing at 9.30am and the sale starts at 11am. The auction can also be followed online with live bidding available. The full catalogue is available from the same link.

This colourful enamel bus stop sign dates from the 1950s/60s.
Wind your way through all the destinations on the Metropolitan line with this fully-working unit rescued from a scrapped 1960s Underground train. Others from different lines are also included in the sale.
Wartime railway poster from the darkest days of second world war exhorting people not to travel unnecessarily.
1904 railway poster advertising the provision of Thomas Cook interpreters for the cross-channel rail services.
1930s-50s enamel street sign from Piccadilly, one of several in the sale.
One of the famous 'Gibson' ticket machines once used by conductors on London's Routemaster buses. In working order.
1880s enamel Underground sign, thought to be from Whitechapel Station. The oldest surviving such sign the auction house has seen.
A much sought-after 1st-edition of the iconic 1933 Underground map designed by Henry Beck, the first to use the diagrammatic style now adopted by transport systems all over the world.

With thanks to David Goodman in the Londonist Roundel Ramblings Facebook group for the tip-off.

Last Updated 22 June 2018