A PIECE of North-East railway memorabilia is creating a stir on an internet auction site.

The sign that once greeted passengers at Spennymoor train station, in County Durham, is expected to sell for thousands of pounds.

It was saved from the station, on a branch of the Clarence line between Ferryhill and Byers Manor, when it closed in the mid- Sixties.

The line had been used mainly for transporting coal, and regular passenger services were withdrawn in 1952, after which holiday specials ran until about 1963.

When the sign came up at a British Rail auction in York in 1970, it grabbed the attention of the late Norman Shevills.

Mr Shevills was born in Spennymoor in 1917 and lived there until he moved to York to work as a teacher, and always treasured his memories of the town.

His only son, Robin, said: "He was not a railway enthusiast, but bought the sign, I think for less than £50, to remind him where he came from.

"He had fond memories of the town and the station. During the Second World War, he worked in Scotland building radar stations, so travelling to the station meant he was coming home."

Mr Shevills passed away in the late Eighties. His son then took it to his home in Antrim, Northern Ireland, where it has been in his shed ever since.

He said: "It seems a shame not to be displayed properly by someone who appreciates it.

"I think it would be a great addition to a railway enthusiast's collection or on the wall in a house or business, and would give great pleasure to anyone with an association with Spennymoor or the North-East."

The enamelled metal sign is in its original condition with a rare orange painted background with white and black lettering.

Bids on the auction website Ebay began at £500 and had already reached £5,100 last night.

George Muirhead, the manager of Locomotion: The National Railway Museum in Shildon, said that was no surprise.

He said: "Railway signs and memorabilia are very collectable.

"In the right auctioneer's room on the right day a genuine and rare item can sell for a significant figure.

"People buy them for all sorts of reasons. They might collect signs from a particular line, place names beginning with the letter S, or have a personal and sentimental connection to the station."

The auction will end at 10pm on Sunday.