A LARGE 00 gauge model railway collection of a Worcester enthusiast sold for more than £9,000 when it came up for auction.

The lots, which included 80 Hornby Dublo and Wrenn locomotives and around 350 pieces of track from a large layout, attracted enthusiastic bidding at Halls’ toys and collectibles sale in Shrewsbury.

Halls’ toys specialist Stewart Orr explained: "The owner had built up the collection over many years but decided to sell it after downsizing home. It was a running collection with 70 per cent of the locomotives in their original boxes and others in display cases.

"The collection featured several rare Wrenn locomotives, including The Hurricane, which sold for £230. Hornby Dublo N2 class three rail unboxed locos sold to a peak of £520, a rare Hornby Dublo boxed three rail electric motor coach and Hornby 4150 matching trailer coach made £220 and a garden model railway set sold for £200.

“When the owner of Wrenn decided to retire he was determined not to leave lots of unfinished locomotives, so he tended to make low runs of models, sometimes using fictitious names, to get them out of the factory. These models are rare and we had some of them in the collection.”

The auction also included the first part of another large collection of Hornby ‘00’ locomotives from a Shropshire collector which sold for £1,200.