A terminally ill retired railway engineer is auctioning his beloved model steam train to raise money in tribute to his wife.

Dennis Herbert’s Great Western Railway King Class No. 6011 King James took nine years to build and has been on display at Wythall Miniature Railway, near Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.

Parts for the model had been sitting untouched for nearly a decade before they were bought by Mr Herbert, a self-taught model engineer from Birmingham.

The Elmdon Model Engineering Society and Transport Museum Whythall will oversee the auction, with all proceeds going to Alzheimer’s Research UK.

Mr Herbert, 90, began his railway career in 1948 and worked on Great Western Railway locomotives, including GWR’s King class, the largest steam locomotive it operated.

He worked on the engines which ran on the Wolverhampton to Paddington service, firing several trains.