PENDENNIS CASTLE SALE INSIGHT

I can add some background to the circumstances under which Pendennis Castle was sold to the Hamersley Iron Company. I was on the Head Office staff of the Premises Division of NatWest Bank when an approach was made by Rio Tinto - the parent bank of Hamersley - seeking assistance in finding a suitable steam locomotive which could be used for recreational and promotional use on the iron ore railway from their mines to the port at Dampier. My interest in railways was known to the chief manager of the department so this request was directed to me to deal with. I was lucky enough to know the late R.C. Riley, who was a man of many contacts and also worked in the City for Williams and Glyn’s Bank. I sought his help in drawing up a list of possible locomotives, which might be for sale. ‘Black Fives’ came to mind, as did Sir William McAlpine’s engines and Bittern and Blue Peter, although I was then told that the latter were not for sale. The response from Rio Tinto to this initial list of suggestions was that an express engine was specifically required and, by inference, a named one - hence the ‘Black Fives’ were not thought to fit the bill. It then transpired that through a chance meeting with Bill Devitt, who was involved at Market Overton, I found out that a channel had, quite separately, been opened direct with Sir William’s team and I then ceased to have any further involvement. I was subsequently invited to travel in Sir William’s GER saloon on No. 4079’s final UK railtour, which took us to Didcot. I have deposited such papers that I had kept from this episode with the Great Western Society. Michael Hardy, Brentwood, Essex