THE Bere Alston station sign from the 1990s made £81 when it came up for auction on the internet last week. Wessex Trains decided to dispose of old station name signs through the online auction house eBay, and the Bere Alston sign was one of the first two to be put up for sale. Over the past three years Wessex Trains has been investing in a wide range of station improvements, one of which is new station name signs along the platforms. The new signs replace a motley collection of signs, some more than 20 years old, and featuring a variety of different brandings, including the old BR double arrow. The Bere Alston sign included the former Tamar Valley Line logo and Wales and West branding. The redundant station name signs are being disposed of on behalf of Wessex Trains by rail design services company ImageRail. Two per week are being added to eBay, with a £15 starting price for the auction, which lasts seven days and is run on similar lines to a conventional auction. The signs are expected to be popular not only with rail fans but also more generally with people who have a particular interest in their locality. Other types of surplus signs will also be sold in this way, plus items such as giant 48-sheet posters. Bob Houghton, head of marketing for Wessex Trains, said: ?Passengers and train enthusiasts have noticed that we?ve been replacing old station names and asked us could they have one ? well, now they can!?