The much-loved Noddy Trains which ran between Hengistbury Head and Mudeford Spit will be auctioned off today.

The trains will be auctioned by Southern Counties Auctioneers at the Wessex Machinery sale.

A post on their Facebook page shows the train and carriages lined up along with the other lots.

One local resident spotted the trains being loaded on trailers yesterday to be taken to the auction.

The beloved Noddy train has been a popular sight for decades since it first started running in 1968.

The council had decided to ban private cars from the head but needed an alternative form of transport, especially for people carrying luggage a mile or so to the beach huts on the sandspit.

Read more: Hengistbury Head noddy trains to be sold because they are 'unsafe'

The idea would help combat erosion, which was being recognised as a serious problem at Hengistbury Head.

So, on April 1, 1968, the first ‘Noddy’ train ran between Double Dykes car park and Mudeford Sandbanks.

The trains delighted families for generations, pulled by the three engines Dunlin (green), Mallard (orange) and Shelduck (blue).

Bournemouth Echo: Noddy Train at Hengistbury HeadNoddy Train at Hengistbury Head

Joyce Faris operated the service until her retirement in 2015, at which point the council took up the duty.

In 2019, the Daily Echo reported the trains would be sold off after an investigation concluded they were not safe.

Read more: Photographs of the Hengistbury Head Noddy Train

A Health and Safety Executive(HSE) investigation into an incident in which a cyclist was hurt when two carriages broke loose, concluded with the HSE informing the council that the traditional trains would require extensive works to run them again, including fitting engine-controlled brakes to each carriage alongside several other safety improvements.

An electric train has since run along the environmentally-sensitive area.