Model rail enthusiast leaves £132,000 to heritage line

Mike Abbott, from Leicester, bequeathed his collection of 70 locomotives to raise funds for a Welsh railway

A model rail enthusiast has secured the future of a heritage line by raising £132,000 from scale model locomotives left in his will.

Kenneth Abbott bequeathed his collection of 70 locomotives to raise funds for the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway in Wales.

Andrew Smith, of auctioneers Gildings, said Mr Abbott, from Leicester, must have been a keen visitor.

Charles Spencer, the railway's general manager, said he was "delighted".

Mr Abbott, who was widely known as Mike, died earlier this year at the age of 89. He left his collection of gauge 1 locomotives to be auctioned.

The models date back to the 1990s and include items from companies such as Accucraft, Bachmann, Aster and Locomotive Works.

Locomotives - like this Metropolitan Railways Electric Sherlock Holmes - were said to be of "very, very good quality"

"They were very, very good quality," Mr Spencer said. "Every single one of them was sold.

"Because the sale was going to support a light railway which has been struggling through Covid-19, a lot of local collectors were keen to help out.

"It is rare for a collection of this size and scope to come up at auction, so although we knew there was a lot of interest in the sale, even we were surprised by the consistently high levels of bidding we saw on the day.

"We are thrilled with the success."

The railway said it was delighted with Mr Abbott's support

Mr Spencer said the railway was "delighted" with Mr Abbott's support.

He added: "Thanks to the generosity of Mr Abbott, proceeds from this sale will help this carefully preserved, historic light railway to delight and educate visitors for years to come."

The rural line closed in 1956 but a group of enthusiasts began the process of reopening it in 1963.

The proceeds of the auction will go towards the line's Tracks to Recovery Covid-19 appeal.