A telephone call from a local solicitor led to a visit to a small terrace house in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire and to the discovery of the most amazing railway collection. 

The collection, coming under the hammer at Morphets, includes over 2,500 railway and transport posters, original artwork, GWR and other regional railway archives dating from the 19th century, books and ephemera

railway items ranging from porters' caps to a cast iron locomotive sign and corresponding cab number.

The man behind the collection was Malcolm Ivor Guest, born in Torquay, Devon, in 1943.  Even as a child he had a love for the Great Western Railway and all things connected with it, and as he grew older his hobby became a lifetime passion.

When the chance came to work on a temporary basis at Paddington Station before he took up his place to study architecture in Cardiff, Malcolm seized it.  He enjoyed his time there in the Publicity Department so much that when he was offered a permanent job he accepted with alacrity, and from that time the basis of his collection of all things railway related was formed.

While working at Paddington Malcolm had the vision to see that so much of the Great Western Railway output, considered superfluous under British Rail, consisted of works of art that should be preserved rather than disposed of.  Doing so brought him much joy and accounts for the great depth of the collection, which represents a lifelong appreciation.

In the following years his interest widened to include other forms of transport, but the main focus was always on railways, whether artwork and posters or leather bound records of the Great Western Railway Officers' Minutes, and he continued to add to his fascinating collection until he died in July 2009.

For more information regarding the sale please see the News page