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Birmingham Airport's old Maglev carriage sold on eBay

A carriage from a magnetic shuttle used to transport airport passengers to a nearby railway station has been auctioned off for charity.

Birmingham Airport used Maglev carriages between 1984 and 1995. They were then replaced by cable cars.

The carriage was sold on Friday for ^25,100 on the internet auction site eBay, where there were 35 bids for it.

The money would be split equally between Acorns Hospice and the Help the Heroes charity, airport managers said.

Andy bags a bargain - iconic train sold on eBay

A CARRIAGE from an iconic transport system at Birmingham Airport is lying stationary in a Kenilworth field.

Heralded as a revolution in light transport when it was launched, the Maglev has been stopped in its tracks for a bargain basement ^100.

Andy Jones snapped up the carriage after a previous eBay bidder failed to stump up a pledged ^25,100.

He reckons he not only grabbed the bargain of the century but a slice of engineering history as well.

The airport opened the Magnetic Levitation (Maglev) line to Birmingham International rail station in 1984.

Suspended above the track using electromagnetic force, the train was way ahead of the green revolution, but it came unstuck by 1995 when it was deemed unreliable.

But for many passengers who recall the silent aerial ride, the Maglev was a welcome relief from hauling cases through terminals.

Now former engineer Andy is keen to find another role for the iconic train.

The 60-year-old dad-of-two, who manufactures and sells furniture from a shop in Kenilworth, said: ^I thought I would get things going by putting in an opening bid of ^100, but nobody else bid for it. I thought I would just start the bidding, but I had no idea that I would end up getting it. I had watched the earlier bid, out of interest and I just wanted to get the ball rolling. We have offered it to various museums since we bought it, but nobody has been able to accommodate it. As a consequence I^ve got a five tonne train in the field opposite my house and I^ve now got to find a suitable use for it.^

The ex-engineer in the Royal Air Force and Rolls Royce said he used to be a frequent flyer from Birmingham Airport and remembered
riding on the Maglev.

When the original bids on an eBay auction closed, in November 2010, the price had reached ^25,100 and had attracted 32 other bids.

The airport was delighted as half of the cash was to go to Help for Heroes and the rest to the Acorns Children^s Charity.

But when the buyer did not come up with the cash it was re-listed and only attracted one bid of ^100.