Record producer Pete Waterman has joined forces with Avanti West Coast and Alstom to launch an auction of railway memorabilia to support the Railway Benefit Fund.

Proceeds from the auction will go toward the fund, of which Waterman is the president. The fund supports railway people and their families.

Among the lots are two nameplates from Super Voyager trains and a pair of Crewe station signs.

Super Voyager No. 221142 previously carried the nameplates, bearing the names Bombardier Voyager. Whilst in service, Bombardier Voyager travelled several million miles along the West Coast Main Line. Rail manufacturer Alstom acquired Bombardier Transportation earlier his year.

The station signs are approximately 940mm x 320mm in size. For many years, they would have been a familiar sight to rail travellers passing through or changing at Crewe.

Two more lots are for two groups of four people to take mid-week guided tours of Alstom’s Central Rivers railway maintenance depot, which is the home of the Super Voyager fleet. Central Rivers, also known as Barton-under-Needwood CMD, is in Barton-under-Needwood near Burton-on-Trent.

The auction was launched at Central Rivers and was attended by Pete Waterman.

If you would like to bid on the nameplates, please email Pete Waterman at [email protected]

He said: “It was an honour to visit Central Rivers and meet with the teams from Alstom and Avanti West Coast who have kindly donated Voyager nameplates and Crewe signs for us to auction. We are so grateful for their support.

“The money we raise from this auction will allow us to support even more of our railway family and colleagues who are going through tough times. Every seven minutes somebody in rail reaches out to us for help and advice and we need to be there for them.”

Gus Dunster, Executive Director Operations and Safety at Avanti West Coast added: “Modern day railway memorabilia is incredibly popular right now. So we’re keeping our fingers crossed these items will help raise some much needed funds for a charity so close to our hearts.”

Peter Broadley, Managing Director, Services for Alstom said: “The Railway Benefit Fund do such great work to support our people and the wider industry. It’s a pleasure to be involved with a worthwhile cause and I’m sure the auction will be a great success.”

The auction closes at midnight on Sunday 24th October.

Where Next?

RAILADVENT NEWS
The latest railway news
RailAdvent Plus
Railway Discounts, 4k Video, pictures and more!
FREE NEWSLETTERS
Signup to our daily and weekly newsletters
RAILADVENT SHOP
Railway Prints, DVD’s / Blu-Ray’s, books and more
LOCOSTOP COMMUNITY
Come and share your railway pictures
UK STEAM INFO
Upcoming mainline steam tours/loco movements
Avanti west coast
Visit their website