Double encore for Cheltenham
FOLLOWING its final gala appearance at the Mid-Hants Railway on October 8/9, Schools 4-4-0 No. 30925 Cheltenham undertook further Watercress Line duties.
Previous reports had suggested that the National Railway Museum locomotive’s last time in service would indeed be at the autumn steam gala. However, Cheltenham continued in traffic during the Wizard Week at the end of October.
A second encore came when it took part in a Mad Hants photographic charter on Saturday, November 5, which became its final operational day before the boiler certification expired on November 15.
The Schools class, designed by Richard Maunsell, comprised the most powerful 4-4-0s to run in the UK, with a tractive effort of 25,135lb
No. 30925 Cheltenham emerged from Eastleigh in April 1934 and was withdrawn with all the other remaining members of the class in December 1962. It was saved for the National Collection.
Having been unable to attend the gala, when it became known that Cheltenham would still be running, I visited the railway on Saturday, October 29 to say farewell to this superb locomotive.
I photographed it approaching Medstead with the 12.20pm from Alresford before travelling on this service to Alton and then up the long climb, mainly at 1-in-60, back to Medstead & Four Marks. The Schools effortlessly kept to the tight 13-minute schedule, with its fourcoach train running at line speed.
My picture at Wimbledon on September 26, 1961, shows Cheltenham working a long empty stock train down at 11.51am, with a Basingstoke headcode. I did not see it again that year and I have no record of it working any of the Waterloo to Lymington Pier boat trains in 1962.
However, as the image shows, Salisbury shed turned it out for the last leg of the 8.30am Plymouth to Waterloo on Sunday, September 2, 1962.
This train was non-stop up from Salisbury in 94 minutes for the 83.7 miles, and the 4-4-0 was going very well past our little group at Pirbright. We had been there all day to see the end of the traditional Southern classes in service, with Lord Nelson 4-6-0 No. 30861 Lord Anson and N15 4-6-0 No. 30770 Sir Prianius, both on a railtour. I think Salisbury had deliberately turned out 30925 that day to complete the trio. While the future overhaul of No. 30925 is uncertain, I hope to see it working again.
➜ Find Don Benn’s With Full Regulator column on pages 64-67 for more locomotive performances, then and now.