Audley End locomotives auction

Does anyone know, did the auction of engines from Audley End go ahead in March?
If so, any idea where they are headed to?
A great shame, in my opinion as a local, and will make me less likely to visit for galas, etc.
The GN Atlantic and Barbara Curwen in particular were very handsome, and the Lord Braybrooke loco had strong historic links to the line.
I can understand the need for investment, but a great shame all the same.

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I never got to see 4433 in steam, but in my mind she will always be the signature locomotive at Audley End. It is a shame if she is going from the line, but I believe she has seen little use since the line was extended around 1980. Perhaps she'll go somewhere where she'll see some use. I don't believe locomotives enjoy sitting on the bench.

 

You're both about a year behind! Yes the locos all went to auction back in 2019 (alongside various smaller gauge stuff too).

I never got to drive 4433, but I did drive BC and LB during steam tests before they were dispatched to the auction house Polar Star had only ever been steamed a handful of times from new and spent most of it's time at AER as a display piece in the estate office. If, as I do, you have large feet and long legs, 4433 is pretty cramped for the driver.

4433 went to The Steam Workshop and has since run on loan at Newby Hall.

Lord Braybrooke is now owned by one of the drivers at Audley End and is kept at a private location, but may yet come back for a visit in the future.

Barbara Curwen has been undergoing significant work by the new owner and is now named "Agapanthus" and is resident at the South Downs Railway (https://www.south-downs-railway.com/locos.php).

Polar Star was bought by a serious collector (I am not at liberty to say who or where, although it's not a huge secret in the 10Q world).

All of them except Polar Star had been steamed before going to auction, although some of them them still needed some fettling...

Unfortunately, I am no longer involved with the railway, so that's about as much info as I can give you - picture of my son on 4433 after we had spent a couple of days polishing her prior to the auction, and myself on a lap with LB during one of the steam tests (I happened to be onsite working on the carriages - it would have been rude to decline a drive when offered!). I believe I was the last person to drive her and drop the fire...

 

To be honest, these days the emphasis at the railway is very much as an attraction for families with young children (and surviving the nightmare that is COVID-19). The last gala was in 2016 when I had just been passed out as a steam driver (but only on Sara Lucy - so I spent the whole weekend on just one loco while everyone else swapped about!).

There was talk of an event with all the ex-AER engines invited back (and there are others - Loyalty, Saint Augustine & Western Thunderer as well), but I wouldn't hold your breath...

 

Thanks for your responses.

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A shame about the change of focus in some ways.
Here are some photos from the 2014 gala.

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And Barbara Curwen on the same occasion

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Sorry, not sure what happened there!

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In the old days, the railway was Lord B's private train set, which he happened to open up to the public, but following his illness & death, and the estate ownership moving elsewhere, it has to be run on a commercial basis and pay for itself. Galas were great fun for us drivers, and the enthusiasts who came for them, but sadly not as lucrative as the current style of operation.

I have photos from that gala too - I had been taking my son there from about 1996 (when he was 3) and we got to know everybody. I often joked about being there so much I should help out, but never actually made it happen until 2015. I wish I had done it earlier. It was great fun, but sadly it is something I can no longer remain involved with.

 

Technically, this "Royal Scot" is also a former resident loco, as Robin (the current owner pictured driving it) bought it from a former AER chief engineer, who kept it at AER, when he retired. Robin runs it at his private railway, although it has been back as a guest loco several times (it was there in 2016 as well, at the one and only gala I drove at).

 

Time for a bit of thread resurrection! Good day at the railway today. It was very busy. Not your usual railway day out (one trip round the line with an Easter bunny show halfway round) but good to see it's popular and seemingly thriving judging by the amount of new buildings and structures that have appeared. Two steam out as well which is pretty rare according to one of the drivers, but the diesels aren't in the best of health. One of the diesels, Robin, did a couple of trips in the afternoon (and I managed to get a photo of my son Robin in the cab as well!).

3548 "Lord Braybrooke" was in the shed too which was a nice surprise. According to the driver I chatted to, the railway has a new manager and they're looking to enhance the railway part of the attraction, so there's a chance of galas returning in the future.

 

It's good to see Bruce and the Rio out together (I think that only happened a couple of times in my five or so years as a driver there). There's been a very high turnover of drivers since my time there and not many of my contemporaries are still driving there

I understand that 3548 "Lord Braybrooke", although privately owned by one of the drivers at AER, is now mostly resident at the railway again, and does occasionally come out and pull trains.

 

In another resurrection of a very old thread, after some time out of use, 3548 "Lord Braybrooke" recently moved to Rudyard Lake Railway and has been recommissioned there by Adam. Last weekend saw it running as one of nine locos in steam at the Rudyard Lake Steam Gala and I was privileged to be invited to drive it back along the line on one of it's test runs after further fettling on Saturday. I also got to drive a round trip on one of their excellent Exmoor locos double heading with Adam driving Lord B. Great fun - definitely worth a visit to support a great little railway with lots of potential. The loco should have returned to AEMR today...

 

Game over for steam by the looks of things. Very sad.

 

Sad times - but not surprising. I learnt to drive steam on Sara Lucy - it's a fantastic loco. Nothing beats driving a reverse circuit where you can give it the beans going up the hill. Will never forget the day, in the last year or so before he passed away, when Lord B rode in the disabled carriage behind me and I got someone to switch the loop points so I could take him up the hill. As I opened SL's regulator wide and made a lot of noise I looked round to see a huge grin on Lord B's face. Happy days.