PENDENNIS CASTLE ANNIVERSARY
May 29 marks the 40th anniversary of Pendennis Castle’s last run before it was shipped to Australia. It was on a SLOA tour ‘The Great Western Envoy’ from Saltley to Didcot and return to Dorridge. While I was not on that particular run, I thought it appropriate to celebrate the event, and the locomotive’s happy return to these shores, by including the log of a fine performance by No. 4079 between Reading and Exeter on an Ian Allan-sponsored railtour on October 2 1965. This is shown in Table 3. The load was 8 coaches of 295 tons gross. Leaving Reading one minute late on an easy 70-minute schedule over the 59.55 miles to Westbury, but in thinning fog as far as Newbury, No. 4079 made a confident start without any heroics and was comfortably inside schedule at Newbury, despite a signal check costing 3 mins. By Bedwyn the train was still on time and, despite a modest minimum of 55mph at Savernake and nothing more than 76mph needed at Lavington, the ‘Castle’ was 5½ mins inside schedule by that point. Despite a checked finish into Westbury, 6 mins had been knocked off the schedule. The net time was 60½ mins. Departure from Westbury was one minute late and No. 4079 was soon into its stride. On the broken rise to Brewham summit, the minimum of 54mph betokened good work. Speed rose to 79mph on the subsequent descent before brakes were applied for the junction at Castle Cary. There followed a pleasant spell of running in the mid-70s over the undulating gradients to Somerton Tunnel, where the minimum was 71½mph. It was interesting to note how far post-Beeching closures had proceeded, with stations east of Westbury except Edington & Bratton surviving for the moment (including Savernake itself). Stations to the west of Westbury had been closed in October 1964, except for Witham, Bruton, Castle Cary, Taunton and Tiverton Junction at the time of my run.
SIGNAL CHECKED
Down the 1-in-264 from Somerton Tunnel, speed rose to 83½mph at Curry Rivel Jcn, but signal checks approaching Taunton and a 23mph tsr after Norton Fitzwarren cost a combined total of 8 mins. The tsr impeded the climb to Whiteball summit, as the best No. 4079 could achieve at Wellington was only 45½mph and the minimum speed entering Whiteball Tunnel was 37mph. A further spell of 70+mph ensued, but at that time the curves between Cullompton and Hele carried a 65mph limit, which was observed. While 3¾ mins were dropped on schedule to arrive 5 mins late, the net time for the 77.90 miles was only 73½ mins, an average of 63.60mph. The train continued to Totnes behind the unlikely combination of 2-6-2T No. 4555 and 0-6-0 No. 3205, after which it was booked to continue to Plymouth behind a ‘Warship’ diesel.
IT WAS INTERESTING TO NOTE HOW FAR POST-BEECHING CLOSURES HAD PROCEEDED