Overview
- The plates, offered in Devizes on April 18, carry an estimate of £20,000 to £30,000 from Henry Aldridge & Son.
- Lab tests found a lead-and-tin alloy in the plates that matches the Locomotion No.1 nameplate.
- Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge says that match points to both being cast together for the 1889 Paris exhibition.
- Removed during 1960s restoration, the plates were mounted on a plaque, gifted to North Road workshops manager Peter Gray, and are now consigned by his grandson.
- The lot toured the UK in 2025 for Railway 200, which marked 200 years since the first public passenger train and raised interest ahead of the sale.