Rail tour operator Pathfinder is holding a charity auction of the headboard used on its 100th rail tour that ran in September from Swindon to Edinburgh.

The auction aims to raise as much money as possible for The Salvation Army and Alzheimer’s Charities, as well as to raise funds for Class 50 Alliance.

This auction provides the ideal opportunity for anyone interested in Railwayana to acquire a unique piece of railway charter history. Anyone wishing to bid for the headboard can do so through a sealed bid charity auction to Pathfinder Railtours.

The headboard, which measures 24 inches in diameter, is unique as it was specially made to be displayed on the front of Class 50 No. 50007 Hercules during ‘The Pilgrim Centurion’ rail tour on 16 September 16 from Swindon to Edinburgh, which was the Class 50 Alliance’s 100th rail tour.

Remarkably, the headboard is not owned by Pathfinder, as the owner won it as a prize in a raffle held during the journey. Very generously, he decided to donate it back to Pathfinder to help raise funds for charitable causes.

Anyone wishing to make a bid for this exceptional headboard is invited to send their highest offer via email to [email protected], using “Headboard Bid” as the email header.

All proceeds from the auction will be distributed among the three deserving organisations: The Salvation Army, Alzheimer’s Society, and The Class 50 Alliance. All those entering the auction should mark 15.00 on Friday, 1 December 2023 on their calendar as that is the closing time and date for sealed bids to be submitted.

The lucky winner of the headboard will have the choice of either collecting this unique piece of railway history from one of Pathfinder’s future rail tours, or from its office located in the delightful Woodchester Valley between Stroud and Nailsworth in Gloucestershire.