A globe-trotting ‘Castle’ makes a comeback.
GWR ‘Castle’ No. 4079 Pendennis Castle is back in steam in the UK for the first time in over 40 years – and what an extraordinary journey it’s been.
So, there I was, innocently standing in the locomotive shed at Didcot Railway Centre in the very early 2000s. I was taking in the sounds, sights and smells and, like an idiot, I uttered those fatal words: “I might be interested in getting involved in something like th-” I never finished the sentence, as I was overheard by volunteers. Twenty minutes later I’d joined the society, and I was dispatched to work on Pendennis Castle within weeks. Thus started an odyssey that would last nearly 20 years.
So, what had I fallen into? Well, there was a locomotive in a great many parts. Lots of parts. It had already been dismantled. Until relatively recently, in fact, I have never seen her in anything like a complete condition. What were we faced with? Essentially, a VERY tired engine.
It hadn’t had a heavy overhaul for a long time. The last big ‘in service’ repairs were a heavy general overhaul in 1959 and a heavy intermediate in 1961. There was the restoration work done at Swindon in 1964/65, a boiler overhaul in the mid-1970s before she went to Australia, and the guys there had done a few bits too. To the level we have gone to, though? Not recently.
Something that I need to make absolutely clear is that despite Pendennis Castle being very tired upon its return to the UK, the Australian team did their very best to look after No. 4079 in very difficult circumstances. When people question their dedication, I always retort that they cared so much about the locomotive that they led a campaign to send it home where many of them would never see it again, for the good of the engine. Let that sink in.
Early developer
Before we continue, it’s perhaps worth reminding ourselves of Pendennis Castle’s epic story that brought it to this point.
No. 4079 was completed at Swindon in February 1924, as part of Lot 224, which covered the first ten ‘Castles’, all of which were initially attached to Churchward 3,500-gallon tenders. It was named Pendennis Castle after the fortification near Falmouth in Cornwall; ‘Bulldog’ 4-4-0 No. 3300 was already named Pendennis Castle and, owing to No. 4079’s naming, duly lost its name in May 1924.
As one of the first 20 ‘Castles’ built, No. 4079 has joggled frames, where they were set inward at the front end to clear the leading bogie wheels. Subsequent ‘Castles’ had straight frames with a local depression to provide the necessary clearance. When built, it was fitted with bogie brakes but these were soon removed, while a whistle shield and speedometer were fitted in the 1930s.
Throughout its long life, ‘Pendennis’ was known to be a good ’un, free steaming and free running, even if its riding became a little rough as it got older. Mileage records ceased to be recorded after December 28 1963, when No. 4079 was credited with a total mileage of 1,758,398.
No. 4079 has a historic place in ‘Castle’ history. In 1924, at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, No. 4073 Caerphilly Castle was exhibited next to LNER ‘A1’ No. 4472 Flying Scotsman with a rather provocative notice stating the ‘Castle’ was the most powerful express locomotive in Britain. This lead to an exchange of locomotives the following year. So, as No. 4079 had received a heavy overhaul at Swindon in March, it moved to King’s Cross on April 18 1925.
After a week of learning the road from King’s Cross to Doncaster, the trials began officially on April 27 for a week, with ‘Pendennis’ working either the 10.10am from King’s Cross to Grantham or the 1.30pm from King’s Cross to Doncaster, opposite ‘A1’ No. 2545 Diamond Jubilee.
With loads being mostly between 450 and 480 tons, No. 4079 consistently used less coal than its rival using the usual LNER diet of hard Yorkshire coal, and kept time without difficulty. Its surefooted starts and rate of acceleration up the bank from King’s Cross to Finsbury Park were better than