TWO old railway signs from Saltburn station made £5,700 when they were sold by Teesside auction house Vectis at the weekend.

Railway enthusiasts from all over the country travelled to the railway memorabilia and toy auction in Rugby, Warwickshire.

The two signs were one of the highlights of the sale, which realised more than £210,000.

Both were in the tangerine livery of the North-Eastern region of British Railways and were removed from the station in the Seventies.

The first, a Saltburn platform sign, or totem, made £3,300, and the second, a sign advertising the Zetland Hotel, made £2,400.

David Nathan, of Vectis, said: "The interest in railwayana is on the increase and anything that is unusual will sell for a premium. All railway station signs sell for very good money but these are very hard to find, especially the one advertising the hotel."

Now converted into a block of flats, the Zetland Hotel was well known throughout the country.

Two coaches from holiday trains would be shunted through an arch into the hotel's own siding and passengers would alight on to a special platform.

Mr Nathan added: "The sign said 'Way out Zetland Hotel straight ahead', so it was a real piece of North-East history.

"It was bought by an anonymous local collector from Staithes."