A Great Western Railway locomotive name-plate rescued from a Swindon scrapyard in 1932 has been sold at auction for almost £30,000.

The two foot brass plate salvaged from the One And All engine fetched £29,950 when it went under the hammer at the sale of railway memorabilia at Benn Hall, Rugby, Warwickshire.

Thought to be one of the last of its kind, the plate originally belonged to a Bulldog class locomotive built in Swindon in 1900.

The engine spent 31 years pulling trains on the London Paddington to Bristol route before being broken up.

Private collector

David Nathan, of the Vectis Auction Group, said the seller, who wished to remain anonymous, had inherited the rare plate from her grandfather after he rescued it from a Swindon scrapyard.

Mr Nathan said the market for railway memorabilia took off in the 1970s and had now risen to "unbelievable" heights.

The seller of the plate, which until recently was languishing in a garden shed, was said to be delighted.

"She gasped when she was told of the sale price by telephone. We had valued it prior to the sale, but I don't think she believed the numbers," said Mr Nathan.

The One And All plate, which was bought by a private collector, is thought to be one of just a handful of such plates still in existence.