It will be the end of an era when one man’s collection of vintage steam engines and vehicles go under the hammer on Saturday, October 21, writes Sarah Pitt.

Richard Sandercock, who shared his passion for steam engines at what was then Dingles Steam Village at Lifton, is selling off a collection built up over more than 40 years.

It includes a rare Burrell steam road locamotive Conquerer dating from 1924, which Richard bought in 1974 and restored at his family’s workshop R Dingle and Son then based in Stoke Climsland, East Cornwall, going on to show it at rallies in this country and in Holland.

The auction at his engineering workshop at Milford, next door to Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre, is being organised by Kivells, with auctioneer John Wakeham being a fellow steam engine enthusiast. It takes place at 10am.

Mr Wakeham said that it was ‘very rare’ to see a Burrell road locomotive, which would have been used for haulage and threshing in days of yore.

‘There’s only a handful of good Burrell road locomotives left, there were many more in earlier times of course but most of them have been scrapped. The last one I sold was at Cullompton six or seven years ago and that one, unrestored, made £335,000.

‘It is rare that an opportunity arises to buy such an engine and even rarer that the opportunity arises to buy one on the open market. There will be people coming from all over the country for this, and from Ireland.’

As well as five steam engines and vintage farm machinery, there is a 1920s vintage Leyland lorry which is expected to fetch £25,000 and all the tools used in the workshop for maintaining and rebuilding steam engines over 20 years. There are more than 800 lots in total, including an unusual American-built automatic four station apple peeler.

‘Essentially the sale has come about because my engineer, who has rebuilt traction engines for 20 years or more, is retiring to Yorkshire,’ said Mr Sandercock, 73.

‘I decided I needed to sell all the workshop equipment and also the Burrell road locomotive because I haven’t been able to drive it for years as I have rheumatoid arthritis. So I decided I’d move on and get it sold.

‘I bought the engine in 1974 and I always said I’d keep it for 50 years but I thought I could be being drawn along behind it to the churchyard before that, so why not get it sold, and then I’ll know who the new owner is, which is always nice. It will sell to a steam enthusiast; there are enough out there with enough money to buy one.

‘It is quite a rare beast,’ he added. ‘It is one of seven of its type and it has got the perfect provenance because I bought it from the daughter of the original owner and I even have the original invoice. It cost £1,200 in 1974.’