Model Railways including Trains and Locomotives

Model Railways is where it all began for Jonathan. First, it was a boyhood passion, and then he was lucky enough to turn that hobby into his career. First as a dealer and then as an auctioneer and valuer for a number of auction houses before establishing Excalibur Auctions as the go-to auction house for Model Railways in the South of England.

Z gauge to G Gauge (and everything in between)

Of course, as true model railway enthusiasts know, there are gauges smaller than Z, and bigger than G, and we've sold examples at both ends of the scale.

N and Z gauge model railways have always been, and continue to be, highly sought after; probably due to being accessible for everyone in terms of space and cost, manufacturers such as Graham Farish, Hornby Minitrix, Marklin, Kato and Microtrains are always desirable and feature strongly in our specialist collectables auctions.

Hornby Trains

OO gauge is the size most commonly known, and Hornby Trains in particular are a brand everyone recognises from their childhood. Hornby Hobbies is a British scale model manufacturing company, particularly associated with model railways. Although originally they produced O gauge, their first clockwork O gauge train model was released in 1920, with the first OO gauge model not being launched until 1938 under the name 'Hornby Dublo'. The locomotives were diecast metal, the carriages and wagons were generally tinplate. Produced in both electric and clockwork versions, this led to the adoption of OO gauge as the broadly accepted modelling standard in the UK. OO gauge remains the most popular scale for model railways in Great Britain due to a wide availability of ready-to-run rolling stock and starter sets dominated by Hornby Trains and Bachmann, including Hornby Railways Flying Scotsman Train Set and Mallard Record Breaker Train Set, and Bachmann's Thomas with Annie and Clarabel OO Scale Electric Train Set.

G & R Wrenn

Founded in 1950 by George and Richard Wrenn, the company's first product line was trackwork, producing a variety of points for both 2- and 3-rail formats. After the collapse of Meccano in 1964, when Tr-Ang (Lines Bros) bought the Hornby Dublo line, it subsequently bought a controlling share in G&R Wrenn and acquired the old Hornby Dublo moulds. From 1967, they continued to produce these models under the Wrenn name and acted as distributors for the remaining Hornby Dublo OO gauge railway stock. Wrenn bought itself free from Lines Bros in 1971 and continued to trade, selling mostly products from the former Hornby Dublo line. Wrenn models feature heavy die-cast bodies, all hand-built by craftsmen using traditional methods, and have therefore always been known for their quality. Excalibur Auctions is the number 1 auction house for Wrenn Model Railways, achieving exceptionally high prices with a loyal customer base constantly on the search for more rare models.

HO Gauge Model Railways

HO gauge (half O gauge) is a 1:87 scale model railway system, the most popular scale of model railway in both continental Europe and USA. After WW1 there were many attempts to produce smaller scale model railway that was more suitable for smaller home layouts. HO was created to meet those needs. By as early as 1922, German manufacturer Bing had been marketing a tabletop railway system for several years. Other manufactures including Trix and Marklin, soon followed suit. Due to the scale's popularity, a huge array of models, kits and supplies is manufactured. The list of manufacturers is vast, but some of the well-known ones include Roco, Rivarossi, Marklin, Hag, Atlas, Bemo, Lima, Kato, Brawa, Faller, Fleischmann, Spectrum Trains, Mehano, Joeuf and Wiking.

Get in Touch

If you have Model Railway locomotives or other items to sell, whether it's a large collection or a simple Hornby Trains set, we'll consider it. We offer boxed and unboxed items for auction, as single individual items, or as larger groups, including rolling stock, model railway track, buildings and accessories.

So give Jonathan, our model railway specialist, a call on 020 3633 0913, or use our online valuation form, and we’ll be happy to provide you with a FREE no-obligation valuation.

If you prefer to visit us, then give us a call so we can get the kettle on, and we'll value your items free of charge with no obligation to sell.

Our auction results speak for themselves, and it is simple to search through our past model trains auctions to get an idea of value and how we will present your items for sale.

We also offer a collection service if you're unable to bring the models to us yourself.