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7029 'Clun Castle' Slogging over the South Devon Banks - Z48 The Great Western - 10 & 11/05/24

On the 9th of May 1964, BR's Western Region ran 'The Great Western' railtour from Paddington to Plymouth. Run to commemorate 60 years since 3440 'City of Truro' reputedly achieved a speed of 102.3mph descending Wellington Bank in Somerset. 10 of the 37 remaining Castle Class engines were carefully inspected and tested prior to selection for the tour. 4079 'Pendennis Castle', 7025 'Sudeley Castle', 7029 'Clun Castle' and 5054 'Earl of Ducie' were ultimately chosen and each crew had two firemen to ensure the engines would have a high power output. The run became infamous for the high speed running of 4079, reaching 96mph before the high grade coal chosen burned hot enough to melt the firebars. 7029 also broke the record for the fastest non-stop run from Plymouth to Bristol, completing the 127.4 miles in 133 mins and 9 secs. To celebrate the exceptional performances in 1964, for the 60th anniversary of Z48, Vintage Trains ran a two day tour from Birmingham Snow Hill to Plymouth, then Plymouth to Paddington and Birmingham. Day one saw the train running from Birmingham Snow Hill via Banbury and Oxford to reach the GWML at Didcot. The train ran via Wooton Bassett Jn and Hullavington to Bristol Temple Meads. After servicing, the Castle continued unassisted to Plymouth tackling Whiteball, Dainton and Rattery Banks. Day two saw the train running from Plymouth to London, tackling Hemerdon unassisted on the planned non-stop run to Bristol. After servicing and watering, the train would run non-stop via Bath to Paddington. Class 47 D1755/47773 would then haul the train back to Birmingham Snow Hill. We start the action on Day one at a very sunny Kings Sutton. Temperatures in the high teens to low twenties on both days meant there would be little chance of much exhaust. Even so, as 7029 bursts from underneath the bridge there is a grey tinge from the chimney. The train races along the slight descent away from Banbury, with a short whistle to boot! Speeding through at 69mph, the 8 coach train plus GUV, thunders passed with Class 47 D1755/47773 along for the ride. As the train continues on, both sides of the Doppler effect can be heard as the Castle whistles for Kings Sutton station. I wasn't happy with the next shot taken at Steventon and as a result of early running, I missed the Castle at the third spot near Callow Hill. This meant that the next time we caught up with the train would be at Dainton Tunnel. The 2 mile climb to the tunnel ranges between 1-in-57 to a brief stretch at 1-in-36. This would provide a good challenge for the crew. Some careful management from driver Andy Taylor saw the train reaching the summit at 9mph without a slip and with the safety valves feathering. Day two and the first spot to see the train was Hemerdon Bank. Starting from cold at Plymouth and having to tackle the 2½ miles of 1-in-42 unassisted would be an even greater challenge than Dainton and Rattery the day before. The tranquil surroundings were soon shattered as Clun Castle came stomping around the curve. A thick fire gave a heavy and smokey exhaust Andy Taylor manages to keep the loco from slipping on the steep climb. The train crawls passed, snorting away at the chimney top. As the train closed in on the easing of the gradient to 1-in-51, the brakes were heard squeaking and the train ground to a halt. At first, the working theory was that 7029 hadn't reached the summit because it was cold and had run out of puff. Later, rumours circulated that overhanging vegetation had knocked the butterfly valves on the braking system on two of the coaches, causing the brakes to drag and hampering the ascent. Regardless, D1755/47773 was called upon to assist and once coupled to the rear, the pair easily get the train moving again. Due to the stop on the bank and the resulting 30 minute delay, Clun Castle wouldn't be able to retake the record from 5043 for the fastest non-stop run from Plymouth to Bristol. Lastly the train is seen at Burton on the GWML East of Swindon. After being signal checked at Wooton Bassett, the crew were working the engine hard to get back up to speed. Flying along the GWML, the Castle easily takes the 8 coach train plus GUV along the near level track towards Paddington at 75mph! Proper stuff! Excellent to see 'Clun Castle' again doing what she was built to do, flying along Brunel's GWML with an express passenger train and digging into the South Devon Banks for a proper slog! Timestamps: 00:00 - Kings Sutton 01:02 - Dainton Tunnel 04:00 - Hemerdon 10:51 - Bourton Filmed on a Panasonic HC-X1500 with an AudioTechnica AT8024 microphone. Enjoy.