A RARE nameplate from a steam locomotive named after a famous North Yorkshire building is to go under the hammer.

It is hoped that the plate, bearing the name Conyngham Hall, could fetch up to £10,000 when sold later this year.

Named after the famous hall at Knaresborough, the plate was carried by a Great Western Railway engine built at Swindon in 1942.

The engine, a passenger and freight locomotive, carried the number 6937 and ran more than 750,000 miles before it was withdrawn by British Railways in 1965.

The brass 6ft curved plate is owned by a Bedfordshire railway collector, and it is set to be sold at a specialist auction at Pershore, Worcestershire, on April 6.

A similar hall nameplate sold at another recent railway memorabilia auction fetched £14,400.

Auctioneer Simon Turner said: "This nameplate, along with the one on the other side, would have been removed and saved when the engine was dismantled early in 1966.

"There is a great demand for all nameplates, particularly those from the Great Western which look magnificent and were beautifully made."

A total of 258 engines bore the name of famous buildings and some - such as Conyngham Hall - were named after places which were not within the GWR region. There are no surviving records to indicate why such buildings were chosen.

Conyngham Hall is an 18th century listed building. It is now used as a business and meeting centre.

Tony Hoskins, of Gloucester Worcestershire Railwayana Auctions - the firm running the auction - said: "The plate is lot 200. It is the star item of the auction.

"We are expecting it to fetch in the region of £10,000. Auctioning nameplates is always an exciting part of an auction.

"It is the icing on the cake for railway collectors. Every steam train enthusiast and collector dreams of owning a nameplate. They are extremely well sought after."

Updated: 12:07 Wednesday, February 13, 2002