Chapter 27: High-Speed Run (I)
(Tuesday, May 8th 2012 – 16:25pm; Ffarquhar Station)
Note: this is the first in a series of different chapters in this story which will have the title of High-Speed Run, where Carrie will be travelling and working on a footplate of one of the bigger steam locomotives which will be hauling a very fast train somewhere on the Island of Sodor.
As the passengers stood on the platform, there came the sounds of chuffing from a short way down the line, and then the sounds of a familiar bell ringing. With a gentle hiss of steam as he pulled in, Toby the Tram Engine came to a stop right at the platform of Ffarquhar Station, and the passengers, including those who were just stepping out from the station's waiting room, began to board Toby's coach, Henrietta. From the fireman's position at the back of Toby, Carrie leaned out from the left-hand side and watched as the passengers boarded Henrietta, and all in a calm and orderly manner. It was getting later into the afternoon, and many of these people were on their way back home to Knapford after a long day at work near Ffarquhar. Behind Henrietta was a ling of six trucks loaded with things that needed to be taken down to Knapford. Some of the trucks were covered with canvas sheeting to protect whatever was being carried inside them.
For Carrie, it was also nearing the end of another day at work, but it had been an easier and slower day than usual for her today; she had worked on Toby for the first time today, and she was very pleased to have been given the chance to do so. She really liked working with Toby, as he was a very smooth engine to ride on, and was a very pleasant engine to be around. The fact that today had been a fine sunny day, when riding on a tram engine would be quite a nice and airy experience also contributed to Carrie having a good day with Toby and his crew.
They had spent much of the day going along Thomas' branch line, where they had helped to take passengers to different stations along the line, before taking some workmen, their equipment, and a line of empty trucks to the quarry near to Ffarquhar. After taking some loaded trucks from the quarry along the line to the sidings near Ulfstead, Toby then collected Henrietta and went to take some more passengers along the branch line to Kirk Machan, the point where Thomas' branch line was connected with the Central Island Main Line that ran through the middle of the Island of Sodor.
As they went along the line towards the middle of the island, and in between the jobs of stoking the boiler and making sure there was enough water in the boiler, as well as an adequate steam supply in the boiler, Carrie couldn't help but admire the scenery that she had never laid eyes on before until now, with some of the many hills rising over the landscape, and occasional waterfalls to be seen rolling off the rugged, rocky cliffs down to pools of clear water far below, as well as the sight of forests of tall trees that were bright green with their leaves in full bloom. For Carrie, to see these sights certainly made working on the railway worth it, especially as the weather was quite pleasant.
Now though, it was time for the final run of the day, and soon it would be time to clock out and then head on home again. From the back of Toby, Carrie first checked the water gauge glass, and then the boiler pressure gauge; everything was fine, with plenty of water in the boiler, and the steam pressure at 170psi.
"Everything seems to be okay, and I think we'll get back home safely." Carrie said, as she turned to speak with the fireman.
"Absolutely, Carrie. I think that we've had a good run today, and I think we all deserve a rest tonight when we get back home." the fireman said, in complete agreement.
It was soon time for them to go, and the guard blew his whistle loudly and waved his green flag. With a ding of the bell, the driver up front opened the regulator, and Toby moved out from Ffarquhar Station and on back down the branch line.
(Insert soundtrack – Toby Season 1 Theme)
They made their way at a steady pace along Thomas' branch line, passing by the places Carrie was by now quite familiar with, having already gone along the line a few times; they passed through places like the country farms, by the watermill, through the deep cutting with trees that were growing on its rugged slopes, and the beautiful flat countryside with the low hills all around them. In between stoking the boiler, Carrie couldn't help but admire the scenery as they went on by, and just what was going on in the different places as they went on by. Every now and then, she would look behind at Henrietta; through the front windows, she could often see some of the passengers, who all appeared to be enjoying the journey home to Knapford Station, even though they weren't going as fast as any of the other engines would normally go when they were taking their own trains.
At one point, as they were travelling along a wide embankment with two tracks going along its length, she was able to look over the farmers who were busy working away in some of their fields with their tractors and other farm machinery, while in other fields, people could be seen walking along, playing with their kids, or even just sitting back and watching the different trains go on by. From where she stood at the back of Toby, Carrie would often watch out for anyone who was waving, and would then wave back to the waving people, as the driver would then ring Toby's bell a few times and Toby would call out "Hello!" to those people as they went on by.
It wasn't too long before they finally were pulling into Knapford Station, and as they came alongside Platform 2, Carrie looked up at the clock mounted over the platform; the time was 5:05pm. She was a little surprised to see how long it had taken for them to get from Ffarquhar to Knapford, but then again, Carrie had been so busy keeping the boiler stoked with coal, keeping an eye on the water gauge glasses and steam pressure gauge, as well as watching the scenery go by that she hadn't noticed it.
"And here we are…we've made it." Carrie said, with a big smile on her face as she looked out back along the platform.
"I knew that we would." said the fireman, as he too smiled broadly.
"So…do you think I did a good job today, sir?" Carrie asked the fireman.
"I certainly think you did a good job, Carrie. It certainly seems like we'll make a railwayman out of you yet. Well done!" the fireman said, giving his highest praises to Carrie.
"Thank you, sir." Carrie said. As the fireman stepped off the footplate for a few moments, Carrie took a moment to look over herself; the overalls she was wearing still looked quite pristine and clean-looking, but then again, no coal dust had been blowing about today, and the work for the most part had been fairly easy, with nothing strenuous that needed to be done.
"Well, I maybe clean, but I still think I'd better have a shower in a short while." Carrie said quietly, as she turned and watched the passengers disembark from the train.
A few short moments later, as the last of the passengers went over the footbridge and made their way out of the station, and as the driver stepped out from the cab onto the platform, Carrie, after picking up a bottle of iced water from the small bag she brought with her, looked along the platform and then saw none other than the Fat Controller himself, looking quite smart in his brand-new suit and shiny top hat, walking along the platform towards them. Wondering why the Fat Controller was coming towards them, Carrie stepped off from the footplate and stood beside the driver.
"Good afternoon, sir." Carrie said, when the boss approached them.
"Hello there, you two." the Fat Controller said, as he came to a stop.
"Hello, sir." Toby said, when he heard that familiar voice.
"Afternoon, Toby…anyway, I'm very pleased to hear of the work you've all done today." said the Fat Controller.
"Thank you, sir." said the driver.
"And Carrie…you did very well today too, I hear."
"Thank you very much, sir." Carrie said, as she opened the bottle of water.
"Feeling a bit hot after your long day of work, Carrie?" the Fat Controller asked with a smile, as he watched Carrie take a long swig of cold water.
"Yes, sir. And this is the fourth bottle of water that I've had so far today." Carrie said, as she wiped down her lips after she swallowed some water.
"I guess you're getting used to the work by now, Carrie." said the driver, with a slight chuckle.
"Yes, sir." Carrie said.
"Anyhow, now that you're at the end of your shift, Carrie…it's time for you to get back over to the sheds at Tidmouth and get yourself cleaned up and then clock yourself out." said the Fat Controller.
"Okay, sir." Carrie said, with a grateful smile.
"And make sure that you get yourself a good night's sleep as well. There's more work to be done tomorrow." said the Fat Controller.
"Yes, sir." Carrie said.
"Anyway, I need to get back to my office now. I just stepped out to check on how things went for you today. See you later." the Fat Controller said, as he turned and headed back to his office.
Soon Toby was on his way back to Tidmouth Sheds, but this time Carrie was riding up at the very front with the driver. She liked to be at the front of Toby with one of the two front windows slid open, as the cool breeze was blowing into her sweaty face and helping to cool her down. It was also interesting to be able to look directly down at the track just as it was about to disappear under their wheels as they went along.
"This must be one of the best places to be on a nice day like this." Carrie said to the driver.
"It sure is, Carrie. Though to be honest, with the sides open the way they are, it can get quite a bit chilly in the wintertime, even when the boiler is hot. Not to mention when the rain is failing in the wrong direction." the driver said.
"Oh, well…let's be glad that there isn't any of that about today." Carrie said, not a little concerned at the thought of a footplate with the sides constantly opened to the elements.
They finally arrived back at Tidmouth Sheds, and, among the other engines who had just finished their work for the day, the driver slowly reversed Toby into his berth and gently put on the brakes with a groan.
"And there we are…home again." Toby said with a smile, as he driver, fireman, and Carrie stepped off of him.
"Well, thanks for letting me work with you today, Toby." Carrie said, as she stepped in front of the old tram engine and looked at him.
"Oh, it was my pleasure, Carrie. It was a real pleasure to have you work with me today, and I hope we can work again together soon." said Toby.
"Do you need some help getting the firebox emptied out?" Carrie asked the driver and fireman, as they came back with a selection of short fire-irons for that task.
"No, it's all right, Carrie. You've been working hard enough all day as it is, so let us get the firebox emptied out." the fireman said, as he climbed back onto Toby.
"Okay then…if you're sure." Carrie said, as she got together her things and set off for the crew building.
"Good night, Carrie. And thanks for your help today." Toby said with a smile, as he watched Carrie set off.
"Thank you, Toby! Good night!" Carrie said, as she turned, smiled, and waved at the old tram engine.
(The next morning. 7:55am)
After another good night's sleep, Carrie was feeling refreshed and ready to take on another day of work on the railway. After arriving at the crew building with her father, she and all the other recruits went up to change into their work clothes. While changing, Carrie put on a different set of overalls, which were different in appearance to the other overalls that she'd worn in the last few weeks; there were no sleeves on the arms, and just two straps that went around the shoulders. These overalls were perfect for a day like today, as the weather promised to be warm and sunny, and a full set of overalls which covered her shoulders would cause her to get too hot, while one that was more open at the top would allow the heat to escape, as well as to allow her shirt to dry off if she got sweaty while working.
Once she and the other female recruits had gotten changed, they left the changing room and went downstairs to the canteen to get a hot cup of tea and a pastry, or two, before they went outside to the depot to be assigned to their locomotives for the day.
As they waited, while sipping their hot drinks and nibbling their pastries, Carrie took a look up into the sky; it was clear and bright blue, with not a cloud in sight, and a very light, gentle breeze was blowing, which helped to move the smoke from the chimneys of the steam locomotives that were waiting in the depot. The sun was up to the east, and slowly climbing higher into the sky as time went on.
The yard manager and inspector were busy assigning the recruits to their engines for the day, and some of the recruits were pleased to be assigned to work on an engine they had hoped to work on for the day, while some of the others were a little disappointed with what engines they were assigned to. At one point, Carrie swore that she overheard one of the other young male recruits, who had been assigned to work on Henry today, quietly saying that he had just worked with Henry only the day before.
Finally, it was Carrie's turn to be assigned to her engine for the day. She stood beside Simon, and both of them waited to be assigned by the yard manager and inspector. Standing on the three tracks were three of the last engines who were waiting for one of the recruits to be assigned to them; there was Thomas, along with Gresley A4 4-6-2 No.4484 Falcon, who was painted in the Garter Blue of the L.N.E.R. and had side valances over his red-painted driving wheels, as well as L.N.E.R. Gresley O2 Class 2-8-0 No.2433, who was painted in plain, unlined L.N.E.R black livery with his numbers painted in gold-yellow paint (45).
"Okay, Carrie…" the yard manager said, as he looked through his clipboard, "…you're gonna be working on the footplate of Falcon today, and you're quite lucky as this is an L.N.E.R. A4 Pacific, one of the fastest steam locomotive classes in the world."
"Thank you very much, sir. I've never had a chance to ride on one of those engines yet." Carrie said with a smile on her face, as she thought of how fast they were gonna be going today.
"And Simon…you're gonna be working on the footplate of No.2433 today. You don't mind that do you?" asked the inspector.
"No, not at all, sir. After all, I've already been on the footplate of some of the other A4's on the island, and Carrie hasn't yet. So, it's only fair that she goes to work on one of the A4's while I go on one of the other engines." Simon said.
"Thanks, Simon. I appreciate that." Carrie said, with a smile. She knew he was right, and was really impressed that Simon was willing to go work on a locomotive that wasn't as glamorous as a large express passenger engine.
"Oh, it's really no trouble at all, Carrie. It's only a fair thing for us all to work on different locomotives while we're on this apprenticeship scheme after all." Simon said, as he smiled at his girlfriend.
"Yeah, I guess you're right, Simon." Carrie said, as she smiled.
(45): The L.N.E.R. Class O2 2-8-0 was designed by Nigel Gresley for heavy freight work, with the very first example, No.461 (L.N.E.R. No.3461), being built under the auspices of the Great Northern Railway at Doncaster Works in May 1918. The class were a three-cylinder development of Gresley's earlier two-cylinder O1 2-8-0 Class (later L.N.E.R. Class O3's), and was the very first of Gresley's locomotive designs to use Gresley's conjugated valve gear.
The boiler design that was used on the O2's was very identical to the boilers that were used on Gresley's earlier O1 Class, and the pony truck used was also identical, incorporating Gresley's double swing-link suspension.
The O2 Class eventually numbered 67 locomotives in total being built between 1918 and 1943, with 57 examples being built in Doncaster Works, and the remaining 10 engines being built by the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow. During World War II, 25 examples of the class were built, due to the wartime requirements for moving increasing heavy quantities of freight around the U.K.
The O2 Class locomotives were fitted with three cylinders that were 18.5in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke, a boiler that was fitted with superheating elements and pressed to 180psi, and eight driving wheels that were 4ft 8in in diameter, which gave the class a maximum tractive effort of 36,470lbf. This made them the most powerful class of 2-8-0 locomotives ever to run on Britain's railway system. The major advantage of using three cylinders on the new design was that they allowed high power from smaller diameter cylinders. The tenders they were paired with carried 7.5tons of coal and 4,200 gallons of water.
The first example of the class to be built, No.461, was different from the other examples of the class which followed it, in that its cylinders were inclined at an angle, and it used an alternate form of Gresley's original design of conjugated valve gear, which used rocking shafts instead of motion levers. She was classified as an O2. When it was being used on coal trains that were running to London from Peterborough, No.461 proved itself to be superior than the older two-cylinder 2-8-0s, especially when it was starting off with a very heavy load. It was paired with a tender that carried 6.5 tons of coal and 3,500 gallons of water.
The O2 Class used an identical boiler to that used on the existing O1 Class, although a Weir feed pump was not fitted to the O2s. The pony truck that was used was also of the same design as that of the O1, incorporating Gresley's double swing-link suspension.
When the first batch of 10 O2s was ordered in 1919 and delivered by the North British Locomotive Co in 1921, these engines featured a redesigned cylinder and steam-chest layout, which allowed the use of a simpler conjugate valve gear with 2-to-1 motion levers, and this would eventually become the standard on all the O2s, although No.461 was never fitted with this simpler valve gear. In March 1939, the original 11 O2s were rebuilt with lower cabs in order to comply with the 13ft 0.5in loading gauge, and side windows were also fitted to the cabs.
After the Grouping in 1923, another 15 members of the O2 Class were built and they were rebuilt in order to fit the L.N.E.R.'s loading gauge of 13ft 0.5in, which meant that they were fitted with lower-profile cabs, re-positioned whistles, and a slightly shorter chimney.
The next order for 8 O2s was placed in 1929, but they didn't emerge until 1932 due to the Great Depression and the reduced amount of work that was being experienced on Britain's railways during that very difficult time. A second order for another 8 engines came about in 1933, and then when the war broke out in September 1939, a further order for 25 more engines was placed, which emerged from 1942 to 1943 in three batches.
In October 1943, as part of Edward Thompson's standardisation plans, No.3479 was fitted with a Diagram 100A boiler, the same boiler type used on Thompson's B1 Class 4-6-0 engines, but ran at a pressure of 180psi. In 1944, four more O2s were fitted with the same boiler type. As the Diagram 100A boiler had a shorter barrel, a special front bracket was built in order to attach the boiler to the frames just in front of the dip in the running plate. The plans to fit the O2s with B1 boilers also included a plan to replace the cylinders if renewals became necessary, but in the event this was never carried out.
The entire class was divided into four sub-classes;
1: the O2/1 were a development of the first example of the class, No.461 (L.N.E.R. No.3461, B.R. No.63921), and many of them were subsequently rebuilt later with side-window cabs, and reduced boiler mountings, including a repositioned whistle, so as to fit within the L.N.E.R. loading gauge.
2: the O2/2 had some detail differences, as well as reduced boiler mountings and a shorter chimney.
3: the O2/3 were developed from the O2/2 with side-window cabs, as well as being coupled to L.N.E.R. Standard tenders that carried 4,200 gallons of water. The O2/3s were slightly heavier than the O2/1s and O2/2s, weighing 78 tons 13 cwt, and had a maximum axle-loading of 18 tons 9 cwt.
4: the O2/4 were examples of the class that had been rebuilt by Edward Thompson with Diagram 100A (L.N.E.R. B1 type) boilers, and were also fitted with side-window cabs. As the Diagram 100A boilers had shorter barrels, special front brackets were fitted to attach the boiler to the frames in front of the running plate dip.
When No.461 first came into service, it was allocated to New England to work alongside the O1 Class in order to haul coal trains to London, and those built from 1921 to 1924 were also allocated to New England. The engines that were built from 1932 to 1934 had originally been ordered in 1929, but had their deliveries delayed due to the lack of work caused by the Great Depression. These engines were allocated to the March area, where they were assigned to work on the heavy coal trains from Whitemoor Yard to Temple Mills on the Great Eastern section. This line had short refuge sidings which couldn't take long trains. But by 1932, these sidings had been lengthened significantly, which allowed them to take coal trains up to 80 wagons in length.
During World War II, those members of the class that had been built during the war years were allocated to Doncaster, where they helped to move the heavy wartime trains in all directions. Other members of the class were assigned to Colwick, where they helped with the immense military traffic that ran to the south of England during the preparation for the D-Day landings in Normandy.
By the end of 1945, with the war over, the class were divided between Colwick, Grantham, Doncaster, and March, where they hauled various freight traffic, including the heavy iron ore trains that ran from Grantham to the Highdyke area. In October 1946, 30 examples of the class were assigned to Langwith, where they hauled coal from Mansfield over various routes, including to Manchester over the Woodhead Route.
All 67 examples of the class made it into nationalisation in January 1948, but No.3921 – the original prototype O2 No.461, was withdrawn from service in May 1948 after exactly 30 years of hard service on the railway, possibly due to the fact that it was fitted with non-standard motion.
In British Railways days, the class gave good service from the various depots and sheds they were allocated to, and did all kinds of work, including hauling heavy iron ore trains, coal trains, and even pick-up goods work. Some examples even made trips as far afield as to Bridlington and to Tyneside. In 1957, No.63935 was used on the Hawes Line for a while on pick-up goods trains.
Withdrawals of the class began first in 1960 when the first four four examples were removed from traffic, these being No.63950, No.63953, No.63959, and No.63970. The withdrawals continued until the last 40 examples still in service were withdrawn in 1963, though 16 examples of the class were kept in long-term storage for a time before they were eventually scrapped.
Sadly, no members of the class have survived into preservation, with the last one having been scrapped in September 1964. It's rather a shame that one or two examples of the O2 Class were never preserved as they were the most powerful 2-8-0 class ever built in Britain. However, I have my hopes that we might see one again in a few years, either a replica of one or a newly built example.
"Okay, Thomas…I'm afraid that means you'll have to go without one of the recruits helping you out today." said the yard manager, as he looked at Sodor's No.1 engine.
"That's all right, sir. I know that I won't always be able to have an extra person helping me each day I work." said Thomas, as he smiled down at Carrie and Simon.
"Don't worry, Thomas. Maybe we'll get to work with you again sometime in the future." Carrie said.
"Thank you, Carrie." Thomas smiled.
"And Carrie…here's the crew you'll be working with for today." said the inspector, as the crew for Falcon arrived; much to Carrie's slight surprise, she could see that the driver was none other than Simon's father.
"Ah, hello there, Carrie. I see that you'll be working with me today." Simon's father said, as he arrived at the side of Falcon with his fireman.
"Yes, sir. I will be, and I'm really looking forward to going fast on the footplate of Falcon here." Carrie said, as she looked up at Falcon and smiled.
"Well, before we need to do that Carrie, there's a lot of work that needs to be done beforehand." said the fireman, as he climbed onto the footplate.
"Our first train of the day will be leaving Knapford for Vicarstown at precisely 9:00am sharp, and will be going along the Northern Main Line. And we need to make sure that we're ready to go within the hour. So, let's get going." said Simon's father, as he too went over to the footplate and stepped aboard.
"All right. Let's get started then." Carrie said, before she then turned to have a look at Simon. "I guess I'll see you later on then, Simon."
"Okay, Simon…and best of luck out there today." Simon said, as he stepped onto the footplate of No.2433, who was already oiled up, sand-boxes filled up, and with a full head of steam in his boiler, and ready to head off for his first job of the day. After about two minutes, with a short blast from his whistle, No.2433 slowly set off out of the yard and out towards the main line. From the right-hand side of the cab, Simon leaned out and waved to Carrie as they set off, and Carrie, who was about to start oiling up the left-hand motion on Falcon, waved to her boyfriend until the tender of No.2433 disappeared in a small cloud of white-grey steam.
Carrie set to work at oiling up the motion on Falcon, with Simon's father giving her a hand by oiling up the motion on the other side, and even helped to fill up the sandboxes with fine dry sand, as well as helping to refill the tender tank with water. On the footplate, the fireman took the task of keeping a close eye on the fire, and making sure there was a good head of steam in the boiler before they could leave the yards. The difficult job of refilling the coal space in the tender with more coal was done by one of the workmen, who had the task of using the front bucket of a J.C.B digger to move the coal from a tall pile of coal a few meters away over to the tender.
At one point, as Carrie stepped onto the footplate to drop off the oil cans, she noticed a door in the forward right-hand side of the tender. Opening the door, she saw there was a narrow corridor that ran along the right-hand side of the tender. She knew that this was a corridor tender, which had the advantage of allowing the crews to change over while the train was on the move. Carrie knew that was a good idea, though for operation on the main lines of Sodor, she didn't know if the corridor tender would be needed for today's journey.
It wasn't too long before everything that needed to be done was completed, and Carrie climbed aboard the footplate of Falcon, along with Simon's father and his fireman. Simon's father, after taking his seat on the left-hand side of the cab, slowly releasing the brakes and then opened the regulator a little; with clouds of steam being released from the cylinder drain cocks, Falcon rolled slowly forwards past the turntable until he was on the straight line that led from the turntable to the main line. Then Simon's father closed the regulator and put the brakes on, bringing the Gresley A4 to a halt. At first, Carrie was a little surprised why, but then she saw Simon's father wind the reversing gear into full reverse, and then, after releasing the brakes, opened the regulator again. Slowly, Falcon reversed until he was on the turntable, and then the brakes were applied and he came to a stop in the right place on the turntable.
With a pull on the level, the man sitting at the controls in a small shack at one end of the turntable turned the turntable around until Falcon was turned around 180 degrees, and he slowly reversed off the turntable. Slowly, he continued on reversing out to the main line and, once on the main line, he then reversed down the line towards Knapford Station where he would pick up his train.
They soon arrived at Knapford Station, where Falcon slowly and gently buffered up to his train which was sitting at Platform 5, and was coupled to the leading coach, as well as having the corridor connections at the back of the tender connected to the front coach. The train consisted of ten coaches, each of which was painted in a two-tone blue livery – with Garter Blue on the lower panels, and lighter Marlborough blue above – and had a special observation coach coupled to the back of the train, which was known as a "beaver tail" due to the fact that the rear end of the coach slopped downwards.
From the right-hand side of the cab, Carrie leaned out and looked back along the platform as the passengers boarded the train; even though it was only 8:45am, Carrie was surprised to see just how busy things already were, with various different people getting aboard, including people in smart business suits, either businesspeople who were on their way to meetings at Vicarstown, or those who were on their way to catch trains over to the mainland a little later on in the day.
"Looks like we're gonna have a full train for this morning." Carrie said, as she looked at the fireman.
"Yeah, and this is quite typical for this train, Carrie. It always seems to be busy with this train at this time of day, and this train is always packed with important people." the fireman said, as he too looked back along the length of the platform.
Then there came the sound of another whistle from the line that ran alongside Platform 4, followed by the sounds of slow chuffing as the train coming into Knapford slowed down at the platform. Looking over, Carrie could see that there was another long passenger train arriving, and it was being hauled by L.M.S. Duchess 4-6-2 No.46223 Princess Alice, and she was arriving after an early run from Vicarstown Station along the Southern Main Line. Carrie could see that this member of the L.M.S Duchess was in her de-streamlined condition, with smoke deflectors to the sides of her smokebox, and she was painted in B.R. lined green livery with a late B.R. crest on her tender sides.
"Morning there, Falcon." Alice said, as she came to a gentle stop at the platform with a squeal of the brakes.
"And good morning to you, Alice. An eventful trip from Vicarstown?" Falcon asked, as the sounds of passengers disembarking from Alice's train could be heard mixing among the sounds of those who were boarding Falcon's train.
"Yes, it was an uneventful trip, though we did have some trouble when we left Vicarstown, due to other trains going in and out of the station." said Alice.
"Well, at least I know what to expect when we approach Vicarstown later." Falcon said with a heavy sigh, knowing full well just how busy it could be going in and out of Vicarstown in the morning.
"Anyway, it should have settled down somewhat when you arrive there later on." Alice said.
"Let's hope so, Alice." Falcon said.
From the footplate, Carrie was listening to the conversation taking place between the two big express steam locomotives from different railway companies, and was a little bit surprised to hear how friendly and casual the conversation was between them.
"You'd never think two engines built and then run in different places could talk with each other in such a civilised way." Carrie said to the fireman.
"Well Carrie…despite what you just heard, there's still that sense of rivalry from all those years before between them that can surface at times. It's just a normal thing, and no different to those highly successful businessmen who work for different companies around the world." said the fireman.
"Yeah, I guess so." Carrie said, as she looked back out along the platform.
It wasn't too long before the last of the passengers had boarded Falcon's train; with a clunk as the last doors closed, the signal dropped, showing that the way out of the station was clear. On the platform, the guard turned and blew his whistle while waving his green flag, and then quickly boarded his compartment at the front of the loading coach coupled behind Falcon. After the fireman called out "Right away, David!" to Simon's father, and acknowledging it, David pulled on the whistle cord sounding out the chime whistle fitted in front of the double chimney loudly for a few seconds, and then he reached down for the regulator handle and pulled on it.
As Falcon slowly rolled out from Knapford Station, he called out "See you later, Alice!" as David gave another quick blast on the chime whistle. On the footplate, Carrie sat on the front of the tender and looked up at the steam chest pressure gauge fitted above where David was sitting, and she watched as the indicator needle moved around the gauge as steam flowed from the boiler, through the steam pipes, and into the three cylinders. The sounds of chuffing, as the pistons went backwards and forwards, could be heard speeding up as the train slowly picked up speed. What impressed Carrie was the sounds of the chuffing from the chimney, and just how even the beat was as they rolled along the line.
"Hey, Carrie…do you wanna have a go with the shovel?" the fireman asked, as he offered her the coal shovel.
"Sure would." Carrie said, as she took the shovel and set about placing fresh coal into the firebox. The shovel was somewhat smaller compared to other coal shovels she'd used, but that meant it would be a little easier to get the coal through the unique L.N.E.R. firehole door, which consisted of a metal flap in a frame and held in placed by a level that could be flipped up with the shovel to close the metal flap.
After placing around half a dozen shovelfuls of coal into the firebox, Carrie handed the shovel back to the fireman and sat herself down on the upholstered bucket-seat on the fireman's side of the cab, and then leaned out a little. She saw they were travelling along the red-brick viaduct that ran over much of the yards to the north of Knapford Station. Looking below to her right, Carrie could see the various activities taking place within the yards, including seeing what looked like Diesel shunting lines of trucks, Percy going along with mail vans behind him, James sitting on one of the lines and waiting to depart with his freight train, and Murdoch going by with his own long and heavy freight train on his way from the yards and out onto the main line.
(A few moments later)
After crossing the steel girder bridge that went over the estuary, David blew Falcon's whistle again and opened the regulator a little more, while winding the reverser back a little more to lengthen the cut-off in the cylinders. Slowly, Falcon increased his speed and rolled along the line towards the north. The tracks that ran along the Northern Main Line around the northern side of the Island of Sodor consisted of continuously welded steel rails resting on sleepers that were made of steel-reinforced concrete, which meant that most trains, especially the express passenger trains, would be able to travel at reasonably high speeds on their journeys around the Northern Main Line.
As they picked up some more speed and headed north on their journey, Carrie was impressed by just how smoothly such a big engine like Falcon was going along with a long and heavy train behind him. Looking down to the tracks that went on by them as they started surging ahead, Carrie could see the countless numbers of steel-reinforced concrete sleepers on the other two tracks whizz on by as they headed on their way along the line. As Carrie pulled her head back inside the cab as she felt the train speed up, she heard the sound of Falcon's whistle sounding out again, long and loudly, as David pulled on the whistle cord again as they went by the junction that led onto the Little Western.
The trip along the north western coast of Sodor went very well, with the coastline often staying within sight of them as they went along, but as they approached Heartfield Station, the arm of the distant signal was level and the signal was also showing a bright yellow light, which indicated "Proceed with Caution" and so David shut the regulator and gently put the brakes on to slow the train down as they approached Heartfield.
"It's likely to be very busy up around there right now, Carrie. So, we're slowing down as a precaution until we're absolutely sure what's going on up there." David said, as he continued looking on ahead without looking towards Carrie.
"Okay." Carrie said, as she looked over towards David. She didn't need to be told how busy the junction known as Widdlington Junction, just slightly to the northeast of Heartfield, was one of the busiest junctions anywhere on the Island of Sodor, where three railway lines came together. There were also various industries and rail-related business there, as well as an enormous marshalling yard where different types of freight and passenger rolling stock would be sorted into different sidings before being reassembled into trains for dispatch.
"I wonder how busy it'll be when we get up there." Carrie said to the fireman.
"Well, we'll see when we get up there, Carrie. If it's very busy around there, we may have to slow down, or even stop before we can go through the junction. We had to go slowly through there last week while we were on our way to Vicarstown with our morning train" the fireman said.
"Okay, then…I guess there'll be nothing we can do about it." Carrie said, as she leaned out from the cab and looked on ahead.
They soon came upon the next signal, and it was showing a red light, which meant "Danger", and so they had to stop. Fully shutting the regulator and putting on the brakes, David gently brought the train to a stop just before the signal.
"Oh dear, and we were going so nicely too." Falcon said, as he looked up at the red signal in some annoyance.
"There's another train coming along, either towards us or going by the junction on one of the other lines, and we need to wait until it passes us before we can move on again." David said, as he set about getting the controls reset and ready for them to set off on their way again.
"I wonder which engine is coming by us." Carrie said, as she leaned out and looked to see which one it was. She didn't have to wait for too long, for soon there came the sounds of another whistle, and in the distance, under a rising cloud of grey-white smoke, came the train that needed to go by. It was another passenger train, and it was being hauled by a Great Western locomotive, which turned out to be No.5070 Sir Daniel Gooch, who was a G.W.R. Castle Class 4-6-0 (46), and who simply liked to be called Daniel. His G.W.R. lined green paintwork had been thoroughly rubbed down and polished so that he looked very smart for pulling his passenger train.
The train he was pulling was 10 coaches in length, and were painted in the G.W.R.'s famous chocolate and cream livery. Each of the coaches had been washed and polished down so that their paintwork shone in the bright sunshine.
(46): The Great Western Railway's Castle Class 4-6-0 locomotives are amongst some of the most famous classes of steam locomotives ever built. Designed by the G.W.R.'s Chief Mechanical Engineer, Charles Collett, and built in 13 lots at Swindon Works between August 1923 and August 1950, 171 examples of the class were built in total, and they worked on many of the G.W.R.'s top-link express passenger trains all over the Great Western and later on British Railway's Western Region. It was felt by many that they were the class of locomotives that put the "Great" into Great Western during the 1930's.
The Castle Class was a four-cylinder class of locomotives, just like the previous Star Class 4-6-0 locomotives were that had been built before them. In fact, the Castles were based upon the Star Class, but were massively updated so as to allow them to haul heavier trains on the G.W.R. network. As the passenger trains that ran along the G.W.R. were getting heavier at the time, the previous C.M.E. to the G.W.R., George Jackson Churchward, had wanted to improve the original Star design by fitting them with a Standard No.7 boiler, as was used on the G.W.R. 47XX Class "Night Owls" 2-8-0. However the problem of fitting the Star Class with such a large boiler would have meant taking the weight of the engines well over the 20-ton axle load limit in place at the time, and so nothing ever came of the idea.
When Collett took over as C.M.E. of the G.W.R., he immediately set about designing a brand new class of locomotive to both supplement the Star Class, and then replace them on the heaviest express trains. The new design had a new Standard No.8 boiler, which was larger and lighter, as well as an extended frame, but with the basic layout of the Star Class being retained. The boiler was pressed to 225psi, and was paired with driving wheels that were 6ft 8.5in in diameter, and four cylinders that were 16in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke. This combined to give the new Castle Class a maximum tractive effort of 31,526lbf, which was a massive improvement over the Star's tractive effort of between 25,090lbf and 27,800lbf. Not only that, the Castle Class locomotives looked attractive and was well-proportioned while remaining within the 20-ton axle-loading limit.
Many examples of the class were built from scratch, but a few examples were rebuilt from members of the Star Class, which were rebuilt by extending the frames and fitting them with a new Castle boiler and cab. The first example to be rebuilt in such a manner was No.4009 Shooting Star, which was renumbered and renamed as No.100 A1 Lloyds. Among the Star Class engines rebuilt was the prototype for the Star Class No.4000 North Star. In total, 15 members of the Star Class were rebuilt into members of the Castle Class.
Another engine that was rebuilt into a Castle Class 4-6-0 was the sole 4-6-2 Pacific locomotive that had been built for the G.W.R. all the way back in February 1908, and the first 4-6-2 Pacific that had been built in the U.K., No.111 The Great Bear, which was renamed Viscount Churchill. The rebuilt locomotive incorporated the front portion of the original frames, and the number-plates, but little else.
The names and numbers of the Castle Class were as follows;
No.111 Viscount Churchill, No.4000 North Star, No.4009 Shooting Star (later No.100 A1 Lloyd's),
No.4016 Knight of the Golden Fleece (later The Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's)), No.4032 Queen Alexandra,
No.4037 Queen Phillipa (later The South Wales Borderers), No.4073 Caerphilly Castle, No.4074 Caldicot Castle, No.4075 Cardiff Castle, No.4076 Carmarthen Castle,
No.4077 Chepstow Castle, No.4078 Pembroke Castle, No.4079 Pendennis Castle, No.4080 Powderham Castle, No.4081 Warwick Castle,
No.4082 Windsor Castle (later No.7013 Bristol Castle), No.4083 Abbotsbury Castle, No.4084 Aberystwyth Castle, No.4085 Berkeley Castle, No.4086 Builth Castle,
No.4087 Cardigan Castle, No.4088 Dartmouth Castle, No.4089 Donnington Castle, No.4090 Dorchester Castle, No.4091 Dudley Castle, No.4092 Dunraven Castle,
No.4093 Dunster Castle, No.4094 Dynevor Castle, No.4095 Harlech Castle, No.4096 Highclere Castle, No.4097 Kenilworth Castle, No.4098 Kidwelly Castle,
and No.4099 Kilgerran Castle.
Those members of the Castle Class that were numbered in the 50XX range were numbered and named as follows:
No.5000 Launceston Castle, No.5001 Llandovery Castle, No.5002 Ludlow Castle, No.5003 Lulworth Castle, No.5004 Llanstephan Castle, No.5005 Manorbier Castle,
No.5006 Tregenna Castle, No.5007 Rougemont Castle, No.5008 Raglan Castle, No.5009 Shrewsbury Castle, No.5010 Restormel Castle, No.5011 Tintagel Castle,
No.5012 Berry Pomeroy Castle, No.5013 Abergavenny Castle, No.5014 Goodrich Castle, No.5015 Kingswear Castle, No.5016 Montgomery Castle,
No.5017 St. Donat's Castle (later The Gloucestershire Regiment 28th 61st) No.5018 St. Mawes Castle, No.5019 Treago Castle, No.5020 Trematon Castle,
No.5021 Whittington Castle, No.5022 Wigmore Castle, No.5023 Brecon Castle, No.5024 Carew Castle, No.5025 Chirk Castle, No.5026 Criccieth Castle,
No.5027 Farleigh Castle, No.5028 Llantilio Castle, No.5029 Nunney Castle, No.5030 Shirburn Castle, No.5031 Totnes Castle, No.5032 Usk Castle, No.5033 Broughton Castle,
No.5034 Corfe Castle, No.5035 Coity Castle, No.5036 Lyonshall Castle, No.5037 Monmouth Castle, No.5038 Morlais Castle, No.5039 Rhuddlan Castle, No.5040 Stokesay Castle,
No.5041 Tiverton Castle, No.5042 Winchester Castle, No.5043 Banbury Castle (later Earl of Mount Edgcumbe), No.5044 Beverston Castle (later Earl of Dunraven),
No.5045 Bridgwater Castle (later Earl of Dudley), No.5046 Clifford Castle (later Earl Cawdor), No.5047 Compton Castle (later Earl of Dartmouth),
No.5048 Cranbrook Castle (later Earl of Devon), No.5049 Denbigh Castle (later Earl of Plymouth), No.5050 Devizes Castle (later Earl of St Germans),
No.5051 Drysllwyn Castle (later Earl Bathurst), No.5052 Eastnor Castle (later Earl of Radnor), No.5053 Bishop's Castle (later Earl Cairns), No.5054 Lamphey Castle (later Earl of Ducie),
No.5055 Lydford Castle (later Earl of Eldon), No.5056 Ogmore Castle (later Earl of Powis), No.5057 Penrice Castle (later Earl Waldegrave), No.5058 Newport Castle (later Earl of Clancarty),
No.5059 Powis Castle (later Earl St Aldwyn), No.5060 Sarum Castle (later Earl of Berkeley), No.5061 Sudeley Castle (later Earl of Birkenhead), No.5062 Tenby Castle (later Earl of Shaftesbury),
No.5063 Thornbury Castle (later Earl Baldwin), No.5064 Tretower Castle (later Bishop's Castle), No.5065 Upton Castle (later Newport Castle), No.5066 Wardour Castle (later Sir Felix Pole),
No.5067 St Fagans Castle, No.5068 Beverston Castle, No.5069 Isambard Kingdom Brunel, No.5070 Sir Daniel Gooch, No.5071 Clifford Castle (later Spitfire),
No.5072 Compton Castle (later Hurricane), No.5073 Cranbrook Castle (later Blenheim), No.5074 Denbigh Castle (later Hampden), No.5075 Devizes Castle (later Wellington),
No.5076 Drysllwyn Castle (later Gladiator), No.5077 Eastnor Castle (later Fairey Battle), No.5078 Lamphey Castle (later Beaufort), No.5079 Lydford Castle (later Lysander),
No.5080 Ogmore (later Defiant), No.5081 Penrice Castle (later Lockheed Hudson), No.5082 Powis Castle (later Swordfish), No.5083 Bath Abbey, No.5084 Reading Abbey,
No.5085 Evesham Abbey, No.5086 Viscount Horne, No.5087 Tintern Abbey, No.5088 Llanthony Abbey, No.5089 Westminster Abbey, No.5090 Neath Abbey,
No.5091 Cleeve Abbey, No.5092 Tresco Abbey, No.5093 Upton Castle, No.5094 Tretower Castle, No.5095 Barbury Castle, No.5096 Bridgwater Castle,
No.5097 Sarum Castle, No.5098 Clifford Castle, and No.5099 Compton Castle.
Those members of the Castle Class that were numbered in the 70XX ranger were numbered and named as follows:
No.7000 Viscount Portal, No.7001 Denbigh Castle (later Sir James Milne), No.7002 Devizes Castle, No.7003 Elmley Castle, No.7004 Eastnor Castle,
No.7005 Lamphey Castle (later Sir Edward Elgar), No.7006 Lydford Castle, No.7007 Ogmore Castle (later Great Western), No.7008 Swansea Castle, No.7009 Avondale Castle,
No.7011 Banbury Castle, No.7012 Barry Castle, No.7013 Bristol Castle (later No.4082 Windsor Castle), No.7014 Caerhays Castle, No.7015 Carn Brea Castle,
No.7016 Chester Castle, No.7017 G. J. Churchward, No.7018 Drysllwyn Castle, No.7019 Fowey Castle, No.7020 Gloucester Castle, No.7021 Haverfordwest Castle,
No.7022 Hereford Castle, No.7023 Penrice Castle, No.7024 Powis Castle, No.7025 Sudeley Castle, No.7026 Tenby Castle, No.7027 Thornbury Castle,
No.7028 Cadbury Castle, No.7029 Clun Castle, No.7030 Cranbrook Castle, No.7031 Cromwell's Castle, No.7032 Denbigh Castle, No.7033 Hartlebury Castle,
No.7034 Ince Castle, No.7035 Ogmore Castle, No.7036 Taunton Castle, and No.7037 Swindon.
The Castles were originally coupled to six-wheel tenders that carried six tons of coal and 3,500 gallons of water, but in 1926, they started to be coupled to much larger six-wheel tenders that could carry up to 4,000 gallons of water. In order to replenish the water supplies from water troughs, the tenders were fitted with water scoops that could be controlled from the cabs. The class also had the copper-capped chimneys restored, as well as polished brass safety valve covers on top of the boilers.
The Castles were also fitted with Automatic Train Control (A.T.C.) equipment to alert the drivers of the state of signals ahead of them, and from 1933 onwards the class were fitted with speedometers so that the drivers could see what speeds they were taking their trains at. In order to keep the cylinders and other moving parts adequately lubricated, the class were fitted with mechanical lubricators.
The first example of the class to be built, No.4073 Caerphilly Castle, emerged from Swindon Works in August 1923, and was heralded as Britain's most powerful express steam locomotive. When Britain's monarch, King George V, visited Swindon Works in 1924, the locomotive that hauled the Royal Train to Swindon was No.4082 Windsor Castle, and much publicity was generated when the King was invited to drive No.4082 from the works back to the station before the return journey.
In 1924, Caerphilly Castle was put on static display at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, and was put alongside L.N.E.R. A1 Class No.4472 Flying Scotsman, where it was said that the Castle was the most powerful express steam locomotive. So, a series of trials were arranged between the two types in a series of locomotive exchanges in 1925, with No.4079 Pendennis Castle being put to work on the L.N.E.R. and A1 No.4474 Victor Wild out on the G.W.R. On the first morning, Pendennis Castle worked a 480-ton train from Kings Cross to Doncaster, and arrived well within the scheduled time and used less coal. By contrast, Victor Wild ran a Cornish Riviera Express to the West of England and, although the L.N.E.R. Pacific kept to time, its longer wheelbase proved to be unsuitable to many of the curves along the route. So, as a result of these trials, the L.N.E.R. rebuilt the A1 Class into the more powerful A3 Class.
In 1925, one example of the Castle Class, No.5000 Launceston Castle, was loaned to the London, Midland & Scottish Railway (the L.M.S.) for a series of test runs along the West Coast Main Line between London and Carlisle. The L.M.S. were impressed enough that they requested Swindon to build Castles for the L.M.S. or provide them with a complete set of drawings, both of which were rejected by the G.W.R. Board of Directors.
In 1935, with the introduction of Gresley's new A4 Pacifics on the L.N.E.R., an attempt at streamlining was attempted so as to gain some publicity. And so, instructions were passed to Swindon Works to select a suitable locomotive to be streamlined as an experiment, and No.5005 Manorbier Castle was selected. The improvised streamlining fitments that were put onto No.5005 in an attempt to improve the airflow, but it completely ruined the aesthetics of the Castle, and certainly she lacked the elegance of the L.N.E.R. A4 Pacifics, or the sense of power of the L.M.S Princess Coronation Pacifics introduced in 1937. During a test run between Swindon and Bristol, No.5005 reached a speed of 100mph, but the experimental streamlining didn't have any positive effect, and so it was later removed in sections between 1937 and 1947.
In 1935, members of the Castle Class being built from No.5033 Broughton Castle onwards were fitted with speedometers for the first time, with older members of the class later being retrofitted with the system.
From No.5023 Brecon Castle onwards, a significant and most important improvement was made to the class by using Zeiss optical alignment gear from the German State Railways to help align the locomotive frames, cylinders, and axle-box guides. These modifications were made to new-build members of the class as well as on older members during overhauls, which greatly improved the overall performances of the class, with tolerances in the valve gear being greatly reduced to the point that Castles treated with this method ran very quietly when new. One example of the class, No.5030 Shirburn Castle, ran for 420,000 miles before it ever needed to have its boiler removed from the frames.
During their production run, the Castle Class were built over a period of 27 years, from August 1923 to August 1950, which is much longer than for any other class of British steam locomotive. The Castle Class also proved to be one of the most successful classes ever built in the U.K., and they greatly influenced locomotive design on the other three members of the Big Four. The G.W.R.'s later 60XX King Class 4-6-0 express locomotives were developed directly from these engines, although the King Class engines were slightly larger.
During their time on the G.W.R., and later on the Western Region of British Railways, the Castle Class proved themselves to be more than capable of hauling many of the most notable expresses, such as the Cornish Riviera Express, with the heaviest of express passenger trains being entrusted to the care of the more powerful G.W.R. King Class 4-6-0s. The class could be found working anywhere, from the industrial Midlands all the way down to taking heavy trainloads of holidaymakers to the coastal resorts of the southwest of England.
The Castles also proved to have a good sense of speed, on their trains; e.g., at one point No.5006 Tregenna Castle managed to cover the distance from Swindon to Paddington at an average speed of 81.86mph on June 6th 1932, which was an astonishing feat for a steam locomotive at that time. One train the Castles performed superbly on was Cheltenham Flyer, which ran a distance of 77.3 miles between Swindon and Paddington at high speeds which made the Cheltenham Flyer one of the fastest in the world at the time. The Castles weren't only used on express passenger trains, they were also used on various miscellaneous duties as well, including on parcels, and milk trains.
However, as good as the Castle Class was, the performances did vary considerably between different engines in the class, with many of the best runs being given by the same locomotives. Those that had been rebuilt from Star Class engines were often considered to be better performers, as those of the new Castle design that had been built from scratch had been rushed somewhat in order to compete with Gresley's Pacifics on the L.N.E.R.
In the years after the end of the Second World War, more modifications were made to the class by the new C.M.E. Frederick Hawksworth, by introducing higher degree superheating to the boilers – which resulted in increased economy in water consumption – as well as having double chimneys and blastpipes fitted to the class from 1956 onwards. The combination of double chimneys and higher degree superheating meant that the high-speed performance of the Castle Class was massively improved, with many impressive feats of high-speed running being recorded. In April 1958, No.7018 Drysllwyn Castle achieved the highest speed ever recorded for a member of the class when it reached a maximum speed of 102mph while hauling The Bristolian express train from Bristol to London, and covered the distance of 117.6 miles between the two cities in 93 minutes and 50 seconds, at an average speed of more than 75mph.
Renaming of the class was quite common for much of their working lives, with engines from No.5071 to No.5082, originally named after castles, were renamed after the names of aircraft that were being used by the Royal Air Force during the war, and particularly during the Battle of Britain; e.g., No.5071 was originally named Clifford Castle but was then renamed Spitfire in September 1940. Another set of locomotives that were renamed ran from No.5043 to No.5066, with these engines, again originally named after castles, being named after Earls; e.g., No.5053, originally named Bishop's Castle was renamed as Earn Cairns in August 1937. In April 1956, No.5066, which had originally been named Wardour Castle, was renamed Sir Felix Pole, the former general manager of the Great Western Railway from 1921 to 1929, and when No.7017 was built in August 1948 she was given the name G. J. Churchward, in honour of George Jackson Churchward.
When engine No.7007 was built in July 1946 she originally carried the name of Ogmore Castle, but in January 1948 she was renamed Great Western.
Between 1946 and 1948, five members of the class – No.100 A1 Lloyds, No.5039 Rhuddlan Castle, No.5079 Lysander, No.5083 Bath Abbey, and No.5091 Cleeve Abbey – were converted to burn oil, but they were soon back-converted to burn coal instead.
When the state funeral of King George V took place in late January 1936, No.4082 Windsor Castle was selected to haul the funeral train from Paddington Station in London to Windsor & Eton Station. The same locomotive was requested to haul the funeral train for King George VI in February 1952; however, Windsor Castle was undergoing repairs at Swindon Works at the time, having been admitted to the works two days before the king's death, and as a result was unavailable for the train. So, Windsor Castle swapped identities with No.7013 Bristol Castle for the event, but for some reason they were never swapped back afterwards.
Construction of the class continued well into the early days of British Railways, with the Western Region building up to 10 Castle Class engines a year until August 1950, when the final member of the Castle Class to be built was turned out from Swindon Works, which turned out to be No.7037 Swindon, who was named in a very special ceremony at Swindon Works.
The lowest mileage that was ever achieved by any member of the Castle Class was 580,346 miles, which was done by No.7035 Ogmore Castle, which had a career that stretched from August 1950 to June 1964. By comparison, the highest mileage covered by a true member of the Castle Class was achieved by No.4080 Powderham Castle, which covered a very impressive distance of 1,974,461 miles in a career that ran for 40 years and 5 months. A rebuilt member of the Castle Class, No.4037 South Wales Borderer, who was originally a former member of the Star Class and named Queen Philippa, covered the greatest distance that was ever recorded by any locomotive that ran under the name of the Great Western Railway, having covered an incredible distance of 2,429,722 miles over a career that spanned an impressive 51 years and 8 months. During the lives in service, many members of the class covered distances well in excess of over a million miles.
Withdrawals of the class began in March 1950, when No.100 A1 Lloyds was withdrawn from service, and the first new built member of the Castle Class, No.4091 Dudley Castle, being removed from service at Old Oak Common Depot in January 1959. The other members of the class followed along between then and the end of 1965, with 1962 seeing the greatest numbers of the class withdrawn when 54 examples were removed from service.
By June 1965, only three examples of the class were still in service and all three were assigned to Gloucester Shed; these locomotives were No.5042 Winchester Castle, No.7022 Hereford Castle, and No.7029 Clun Castle. By the end of the month, only No.7029 was left in service as the last member of the class, and she was eventually withdrawn from use by the end of December 1965, having worked the last steam-hauled train out of Paddington on 27th November 1965.
Thankfully, eight examples of the Castle Class have survived into preservation. These locomotives are:
No.4073 Caerphilly Castle: the first built member of the Castle Class, built at Swindon Works in August 1923, was withdrawn from service in May 1960 after having covered 1,910,730 miles during her career on the main line, and was then refurbished for static display in the Science Museum in South Kensington, London. Was put on static display in the STEAM Museum in Swindon in December 1999, and has been on static display there ever since, with no plans about to return her to working order again. She's currently paired with a tender for carrying 3,500 gallons of water, just as she would have had back in her very early days, though during much of her working life she ran with the larger 4,000 gallon tender.
No.4079 Pendennis Castle: built at Swindon Works in February 1924, she recently returned to running order after a lengthy restoration job that spanned more than 20 years. She was withdrawn from service in May 1964 after its firebars melted during a rail-tour celebrating the 60th anniversary of No.3440 City of Truro reaching 100mph. When No.4079 was withdrawn, she had covered 1,758,398 miles by the end of December 1963. Afterwards, she was bought for £1,750, before being overhauled. After running on the main line extensively in the 1970's, No.4079 was sold to Hamersley Iron, which was one of the largest iron ore producers in Western Australia in 1977. She ran for a number of years in Australia, where it was fitted with a brass plaque with the name Rio Fe. She was reunited with No.4472 Flying Scotsman in Perth when the Gresley L.N.E.R A3 Class Pacific visited Australia for the Aus88 celebrations in 1988 and 89. She last ran in Australia in 1994, and was returned to Britain in 2000 – becoming the 2nd steam locomotive to circumnavigate the globe after Flying Scotsman. After arriving in Bristol, she was taken to the Didcot Railway Centre to be restored to working order by the Great Western Society. In 2021, she steamed for the first time in 27 years, and in February 2022 she moved under her own power for the first time since 1994, and for the first time in the U.K. since 1977, though it will not run on the main line.
No.5029 Nunney Castle: built at Swindon Works in May 1934, she was withdrawn from service in December 1963. She was sold to Woodham's Yard in Barry in June 1964, where it stayed for 12 years before being rescued from the yard in May 1976, as the very last Castle Class engine to leave Barry Scrapyard. Following restoration, she returned to the main line in 1990, where she became a very popular engines with the crews who drove her. She's currently undergoing a major overhaul at Crewe in order to return her to main line working condition.
No.5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe: built at Swindon Works in March 1936 as Banbury Castle, she was renamed in September 1937. She was withdrawn from service in December 1963, and was then sold to Woodham's Yard in Barry in June 1964. She left the yard as the 43rd engine to leave in September 1973, initially as to be a source of spares for No.7029 Clun Castle. However, No.5043 was eventually restored to working order in her own right, with the work finally being completed in October 2008, where she returned to steam and moved under her own power again after nearly 45 years. She's worked on the main line extensively all over the U.K. since then, including along the Settle and Carlisle Line, where in mid-October 2010 she recorded the highest horsepower output ever measured on any member of the G.W.R.'s Castle Class, around 2,030edhp, which is considerably higher than the power output of the diesel-hydraulic engines which replaced the Castles in the early to mid-1960's. As of 2024, No.5043 is operational and certified to run on the main line.
No.5051 Drysllwyn Castle (Earl Bathhurst): built at Swindon Works in May 1936, she was withdrawn from service in May 1963, having covered 1,300,000 miles during her career on the main line, and sold to Woodham's Yard in Barry in October that same year. She was rescued from Barry in March 1969 and restored to full working order by 1979. During her career in preservation, No.5051 has worked extensively all over the British national network, as well as on heritage railways until 2008, when her boiler certificate expired. During her career in preservation, No.5051 has carried both the Drysllwyn Castle and Earl Bathurst names at different times. Currently, No.5051 is on static display at the Didcot Railway Centre while funds are raised for her next overhaul.
No.5080 Defiant (Ogmore Castle): built at Swindon Works in May 1939, she was renamed as Defiant in January 1941 in honour of one of the R.A.F. aircraft which fought against the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain. She was withdrawn from service in April 1963 and sold to Woodham's of Barry in October that year. Rescued from Barry in August 1974 as the 62nd locomotive to leave the yard and taken to Tyseley Locomotive Works, she was initially intended to be a source of spares for No.7029 Clun Castle, but she was restored to full working order again by July 1987. She ran for a number of years until 1997, when her boiler certificate expired and she was sent for display on the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre where she remained until 2017 when she returned to Tyseley. She's currently on static display at Tyseley Locomotive Works while funds are being raised to restore her to working order and then later on to main line running condition.
No.7027 Thornbury Castle: built at Swindon Works in August 1949, she was withdrawn in December 1963 and then sold to Woodham's Yard in Barry in 1964. It departed from the yard in August 1972, and was taken to Crewe Heritage Centre. Though some restoration work has been undertaken on No.7027 in the years since she was rescued from Barry, she's still in scrapyard condition with many missing parts, some of which were used on fellow preserved Castle Class No.5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe. In August 2022 it was confirmed that the locomotive had been purchased by the 4709 Project Group based at Didcot. Some components from No.7027, including the boiler, will be used in the construction of new-build G.W.R. 47XX Class 2-8-0 Night Owl No.4709. The 4709 Project Group said the plan they had for No.7027 Thornbury Castle was to use the locomotive to create a new G.W.R. Star Class 4-6-0 using the boiler from G.W.R. Class 2-8-0 No.2861 which was used to donate parts to the 38XX Class 4-4-0 No.3840 County of Montgomery Project. They intended to announce this in September 2022 but brought it forward due to the reaction the use of the boiler from No.7027 Thornbury Castle caused. Currently, the future of No.7027 is uncertain, but it's hoped that the engine will eventually be restored to full working order again.
No.7029 Clun Castle: built at Swindon Works in May 1950, she had a double chimney and a 4-row superheater fitted in October 1959. She hauled the last official steam train out from Paddington to Banbury on 11th June 1965 before she was finally withdrawn from service in December 1965 from her base at Gloucester Shed as the final locomotive of the Castle Class in service at that time. Being based at Tyseley for much of its preservation career, Clun Castle has worked extensively in preservation, both on the main line, as well as on heritage railways throughout the U.K. As of 2024, No.7029 is operational and certified to run on the main line.
Of the eight surviving Castle Class locomotives, only No.5043 and No.7029 are fitted with double-chimneys, with the remaining six engines all being fitted with single chimneys.
"Hello there, Falcon. Sorry for holding you up, but it's very busy up there." Daniel said, as he approached the Gresley A4, and then went on by with his own train.
"Yes, I think I can sense that, Daniel." Falcon said, as he watched the train go by him on its way down to Knapford. He knew that it could be busy further up ahead, particularly in the time leading up to, and during, the summer months, and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to get through with his train on time.
From the footplate, Carrie leaned out a little and watched as Daniel went on by, and then turned her head to look back along the track after the last coach went on by; she watched as the coach disappeared along the track, with the red tail lamp fitted to one of the lamp-irons at the back of the coach flashing its red warning light.
"Okay, here we go again." David said, as he blew Falcon's whistle for a few seconds and then opened the regulator again.
"Are we clear to go?" Carrie asked, as she felt them starting off again, while she heard the sounds of the steam shooting out front, as well as the sounds of the chuffing from the chimney. "Yes, the signal has dropped, so we're all clear to continue." David said, as he adjusted the regulator and then turned the reversing gear around to lengthen the cut-off.
"Okay, then." Carrie said, as she watched the fireman start to place some more coal onto the fire. Leaning out from the cab again, Carrie looked ahead as they slowly moved off and she watched as they moved along the line and onwards towards the busy junction not too far ahead of them. She wondered just how busy it would be when they got up there.
She found out soon enough; when they started going through the junction, she saw there were many different trains going through the complex of different railway lines that ran through the area, as well as others waiting to set off from the various sidings at the different industries, factories, yards, and rail-side businesses.
Carrie was amazed by all the different kinds of trains she saw as they went on by; many of them were mixed freights, and consisted of many different types of freight rolling stock, while other trains all consisted of either one or two types of rolling stock. One such train Carrie saw was going back southwards to Knapford, and which was made up entirely of covered hopper wagons – Cov-Hops – carrying sugar in them, making up one half of the train, and the second half of the train consisting of steel hopper wagons that contained various types of construction aggregates. The Cov-Hops that were carrying sugar were painted in a light blue livery and had "SODOR SUGAR" painted on their sides in a crisp white paint, and were quite clean in their appearance.
Another train Carrie saw, which was going along towards the line that ran through the middle of the Island of Sodor, was a long train consisting of flatbeds that were laden down with a wide variety of different steel products from a nearby foundry.
"It's certainly getting very busy around here." Carrie said aloud.
"It's always busy around here, Carrie. And there's always something going on here, regardless of what time of the day or night it may be, and at any time of the week." the fireman said.
As they went by one part of the junction, they came upon S&DJR 7F 2-8-0 No.53800 heading in the opposite direction with a freight train consisting mostly of 16-ton steel mineral wagons loaded with coal, but with a few box-vans mixed within the train as well. As the 7F approached the Gresley A4, he whistled a friendly greeting.
"Morning Falcon!" he called out cheerfully, as he went on by with his long, heavy train.
"I'd be having a better morning if I was allowed to go faster!" Falcon called back in reply, somewhat annoyed at being restricted in his speed due to how busy it was.
"Now Falcon…" his fireman called from the footplate, "…you know that we have to go at this pace because of the traffic going through here."
"I know, fireman." Falcon said, as he concentrated his attention ahead to the track.
It wasn't too long before they reached the end of the major junction complex, which was quite near to the large marshalling yard by its north end. From this point onwards, the track stretched ahead around the north side of the Island of Sodor, and from now on, with the track not as busy, David could open the regulator more and get the train moving at a higher speed on the trip down to Vicarstown.
"Now, we can really open the taps and show you what a Gresley A4 is capable of doing, Carrie." David said, as he turned to Carrie, while pulling the regulator open a bit more.
"Great, and now to see just how fast we can go." Carrie said with a broad smile on her face, as she looked forward to seeing just what a streamlined locomotive like an A4 could do.
Slowly, she could feel them speeding up and, looking out from the cab, she could see the scenery moving past quicker, and the sounds of the chuffing from the chimney also picked up as the train sped up. Leaning out a little on the fireman's side of the cab, and making sure her cap was securely on her lap, Carrie felt the wind blow through her hair as they sped along the line. They seemed to be getting a bit faster as time went on.
"How fast are we going now?" Carrie asked, as David sounded the whistle loudly.
"Well, according to the speedometer before me, we're just touching 50mph, and the speed is rising all the time." David called, as he wound back the reversing gear to lengthen the cut-off a little more, and Carrie felt the speed rise a little more.
"Hey, Carrie, do you want a go with the shovel?" the fireman asked, as he offered the shovel to Carrie. And without a word, but with a smile on her face, Carrie took the shovel from the fireman and set about stoking the boiler with more coal.
Making sure that her feet were spread out to keep her stable, she set about shovelling fresh coal into the boiler and making sure she placed the coal through the firebox flap and to where it was needed. Due to how narrow the gap was, she had to take care when posting the shovel, often heavily laden with coal, through it to get the coal into the firebox. The fact the train was moving at a fast speed and was rocking a little also caused her some difficulty in keeping her balance, but she managed to stay up.
After placing the sixth shovelful of coal into the firebox, she turned and had just thrust the shovel into the coal-space for a seventh, when the fireman reached forward and said, "Okay, Carrie, that'll do for now."
"Okay, then." Carrie said, as she handed the shovel back to the fireman, and then went to seat down in the fireman's upholstered bucket seat.
Relieved to be sitting down again, Carrie leaned out a little to see where they were; they were now passing though Emily Road Station, one of the two most northern stations on the Island of Sodor, along the middle line. Standing at the platform on the down line looking back south was G.W.R. County 4-6-0 No.1005 County of Devon who was standing at the platform with his train and collecting passengers for the run back south to Knapford. Standing at the other platform, this one on the up line, was B.R. Standard Class 6 No.72024 Clan Scott, who was also picking up passengers for his train, but his passengers were bound for Vicarstown. As Falcon passed through, he blew his whistle long and loud, while calling out "Morning!" as he went by, with both Clan Scott and County of Devon both calling out "Hello!" in reply.
For the next few miles, and after passing through Nort Station, they turned onto the long stretch of line that ran along Sodor's north-east coastline, where they would have a good run on the second half of their journey to Vicarstown.
"How are you finding things so far, Carrie?" David asked, as they went by another home signal at green.
"I'm finding it quite good. I'm amazed by how fast we're going, and that we're able to make up the time we lost a little while back." Carrie said, as she poured herself some tea from a white flask that had been keeping warm on the warming plate over the firehole door.
"Yeah, the A4 Pacific's are amongst my favourite classes of steam locomotives. There's just something so elegant about them, yet so powerful as well with how much they can haul." David said, as he blew the chime whistle again. Feeling herself smile somewhat, Carrie settled down and sipped from her mug of tea. So far, things this morning had been fine, with no unexpected events to get in the way. Hopefully, things would stay this way for the rest of the day, and she would be able to get home in the evening with another day of hard work under her belt.
Back in the long train behind Falcon, the passengers were enjoying their trip, and some were finishing off the breakfasts that the staff in the dining car were serving, while others were sitting back and chatting with each other, working on their laptops, or reading their books or copies of the morning paper. A few of the older passengers had cups of hot tea or coffee sitting on the table tops, and they were sipping from them as they read, chatted, or worked.
In one of the coaches further back along the train, one of the stewardesses was going along with the serving trolley, and serving out refreshments, such as hot drinks, sandwiches, chocolate bars, and pastries, to the passengers. In the observation coach at the very rear of the train, the passengers were lounging about on the comfy seats and chatting quietly with each other, or watching the world go by outside the large windows that went all around the sides and rear of the coach.
A little later on, as the train approached Chiddlington Station, they were making very good time and promised to arrive at Vicarstown Station right on schedule. So far, Falcon was steaming very well, the train was going along very smoothly, and for Carrie it was shaping up to be another good day of work with smooth running all the way.
"We're almost there now." Carrie said. She was now standing on the driver's side of the cab, right behind where David was working the controls, and leaning out a little, took in the view of the coastline they were running parallel to in the distance to the northeast.
"Yeah, not too long before to go, Carrie. Just another 20 minutes or so, and then we'll be there." David said, as there came the sounds of the injectors, which the fireman had activated so as to put more water into the boiler.
"Our water supply's holding up so far. There's still plenty in the tender tank to take us even further." the fireman said.
"That's good, but I don't thing that we'll need all our water to get us into Vicarstown." David said, with a slight chuckle, as the fireman also chuckled. Going over to the other side of the cab, Carrie leaned out as they approached Chiddlington Station, and wondered how busy it would be when they passed through there.
She found out soon enough; for as they approached Chiddlington Station, they passed through on the middle line, and Carrie, who was still leaning out from the fireman's side of the cab, saw that G.W.R. Manor Class 4-6-0 No.7801 Anthony Manor, who simply liked to known as Anthony, was sitting patiently at the platform for the track going north, and waiting for his passengers to board his train. Giving Falcon a friendly blast of his whistle as he watched the faster A4 go on by, Anthony waited for the "all-clear" from the guard so that he could head off on his way.
After going through Chiddlington Station, Falcon approached the junction that led off to the right down towards Great Waterton. Due to the fact the signal he had passed had shown a yellow light, which meant "Proceed with Caution", David had closed the regulator and slowed the train down, with his hand on the brake controls just in case they needed to stop.
"What's going on?" Carrie asked.
"We're approaching a junction, and it's bound to be busy along here." David said, as he leaned out through the open sliding window and looked out ahead to see what might be there.
Going over and looking out herself, Carrie saw they were approaching a series of sidings very close to the junction where trains would wait before they were allowed to go over the main line and onto the tracks leading to Great Waterton. In one of the sidings was a long freight train coupled behind G.W.R. 28XX 2-8-0 No.2800. He was waiting for the line to become clear so that he could take his train down to Great Waterton. The train was full of different construction materials for the building of the final holiday homes near to Great Waterton, as well as to finish off the last details of a brand-new hotel that had been build close by.
Giving No.2800 a blast on his whistle as he went on by, Falcon went through the junction with his coaches following along smoothly behind him. From inside the coaches, quite a few of the passengers looked out at what was slowing them down as they went on by, with some seeing No.2800 sitting in his siding and waiting.
As they got closer and close to Vicarstown, Carrie took another go on the shovel and, keeping her feet spread out so as to keep her balance, she placed more coal into the firebox and made sure to see the coal was placed into the back corners, under the firehole door, along the sides of the firebox, and as far forward in the firebox as she could throw the coal. The work caused her muscles to ache and sweat to run down her forehead, and she was feeling a little sore after she had placed the seventh shovelful into the firebox.
"Phew, I'm feeling a little sore from that." she said, as she stood back up and placed one of her hands on her back.
"Yeah, being bent over like that when stoking the boiler will do that to you. But surely, you're used to doing all this by now, Carrie." the fireman said, as Carrie handed him back the shovel.
"Oh, I am, but even so, handling a shovel full of coal while trying to stay steady will give you a sore back." Carrie said, as she sat back down on the fireman's seat.
As they went through Rossington Station, which was the final major station before they arrived at Vicarstown, Carrie saw another engine coming towards them on the track adjacent to theirs; it was another passenger train, and it was being hauled along by L.M.S. Princess Coronation Pacific No.6222 Queen Mary, who was on her way back towards Knapford along the Northern Main line. Carrie could see this locomotive was different from No.6227 Duchess of Devonshire, the streamlined Princess Coronation she had seen her father drive only a few weeks before. Queen Mary was streamlined, just like Duchess of Devonshire, but Mary was painted in Caledonian Blue with silver stripes going down her side, unlike Duchess of Devonshire, who was painted in crimson-lake red with golden gilt stripes going down her streamlined casing. Behind Mary was a long line of coaches, which were painted in Caledonian Blue livery with silver stripes running down their sides.
Both Falcon and Mary sounded their whistles long and loud as they approached each other, and then went by each other on their way to their respective destination. For Carrie, it was a remarkable, and awe-inspiring sight to see two large express passenger locomotives go by each other while hauling long and heavy trains. And to hear the sounds of Mary as she whooshed on past with her train very close to Carrie's ear…well. it was quite an experience to hear something like that.
(A short while later)
They were soon pulling into Vicarstown Station alongside Platform 3, and it was the end of the morning's journey. As they came to a gentle stop, with a sound of brakes squealing lightly and steam hissing, Carrie felt herself smile; they had arrived at their destination safe and sound, and all the passengers would be able to get to where they needed to be. Looking up at the clock that was fitted over the platform, Carrie could see the time was 10:20am; they had arrived at Vicarstown bang on time. Smiling broadly, Carrie then looked back along the platform, and saw all the passengers disembark from the train through the open doors and make their way out from the station and, from there, into the town of Vicarstown.
"Well, I guess we can call that trip a success." Carrie said, as she turned to David.
"Absolutely, Carrie. That's a success." David said, with a big smile on his face.
Then, before Carrie could say anything else, there came the sounds of another whistle, but this time it came from somewhere further down the line in the direction of the main land. And then the whistle was sounded again. Upon hearing it the second time, Falcon groaned in a frustrated sort of way and glanced up to the sky.
"Oh, no! Not now…please, not now!" he said quietly.
"What's going on, Falcon?" Carrie asked as she leaned out from the cab, wondering what could be wrong.
"It's the sound of one of my brothers, Carrie…and one which is quite an arrogant, self-centred character, and one which many of the other engines here on Sodor don't like too much." Falcon said, as he looked forward along the tracks.
For several moments, Carrie looked towards where Falcon was looking, and wondered which new engine she would see approach them.
She didn't have to wait for very long; for two minutes later, another A4 Pacific came towards them on the adjacent track before stopping a little way back. Carrie could see that this A4 was painted in a silver livery with black lining, and no side valances over his driving wheels. He had two red coaches coupled behind him, which had been polished and cleaned down to a very high standard, and which obviously belonged to someone very important.
"Hello there, Falcon. It's nice to see you again." said the silver painted A4, as he looked towards Falcon.
"Yeah, it's nice to see you too, Spencer." Falcon said, with a touch of sarcasm in his voice.
"Well, what do ya know? I'm here for the whole summer." said Spencer, as a smile – and not a very nice one at that – crossed his face.
"Why? What for?" Falcon asked, not too pleased to hear that.
"Well, the Duke and Duchess of Boxford are coming to visit the island for the summer, and they're gonna be staying at their summer house. And so, they'll need me to take them around the island while they're here." Spencer said, in a slightly boastful way.
"That's all we on Sodor need now." Falcon said, in a very quiet way so Spencer couldn't hear, as he rolled his eyes to the sky.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to bring the Duke and Duchess of Boxford to their summer house." Spencer said as he sounded his whistle, and then went on his way through the station. Falcon sighed heavily, as Spencer disappeared into the distance behind him.
"Who was that, Falcon?" Carrie asked with some concern, as she stepped off the footplate and walked along the platform to a point where she could look at Falcon's front.
"That, Carrie…is Spencer. He's privately owned by the Duke and Duchess of Boxford, from the town of Boxford on the main land. He's quite an arrogant, pompous, bossy, and snobby sort of character, and isn't too well liked by many of the other engines here on Sodor." Falcon said.
"I see…" Carrie said, as she looked in the direction where Spencer had just gone.
"And yes, I know he's my brother, but even so…" Falcon said.
"You don't need to say anymore, Falcon…I understand." Carrie said, as she smiled up at the A4 beside her. Though she had just had a very brief first encounter with Spencer, Carrie could tell that his personality was very much like that of her bully Chris Hargensen back in Chamberlain, in that Chris was quite a narcissistic, egotistic, self-centred, cruel, and sadistic type of personality, and would often bully not just those outcasts and misfits like Carrie, but also her own henchmen, or Hench-girls, on the odd occasion as well. Carrie decided to be cautious when dealing with a new bully type of personality that she had never met face to face before.
"Anyway, come on Falcon. Let's get you over to the depot, and we'll get you ready for your next train later on." said David, as he stuck his head out from the side of the cab.
"Okay then." Falcon said.
"But what about the coaches, David?" Carrie said, as she made her way back to the cab and stepped aboard.
"Not to worry, Carrie. One of the station pilots will take the coaches to the coaching sidings, where they'll be looked over before the next journey." the fireman said.
"And here he is now." David said, as he pointed down along one of the other lines a little further down where a tank engine was coming into the station. The engine was painted in a smart black livery, with the word SOUTHERN and the numbering painted in yellow paint, with the number painted on the sides of the coal bunkers, with SOUTHERN painted on the sides of the water tanks just in front of the cab. The tank engine was an 0-8-0T, and his number was No.952, and he was a Southern Railways Z-Class tank engine. (47) He was eager to get this platform cleared of the line of coaches along it, before the next train arrive which was due to arrive in Vicarstown Station on this line very soon.
(47): The Southern Railways (S.R.) Z Class 0-8-0T tank engines were designed by Richard Maunsell, and the class was intended to be used for heavy shunting duties on the S.R. network. In 1923, the newly formed Southern Railway needed to have a new group of heavy shunting engines to work in its marshalling yards around London and to work on freight transfers between them. A previous locomotive design, the G16 Class 4-8-0T tank engine, designed by Robert Urie, had originally performed this task with further examples on order, but Richard Maunsell cancelled the order for more G16's and set about working on a brand-new design.
In order the increase the traction of the new design so that it could move heavy loads, an 0-8-0 wheel arrangement was provided, which would still allow the engines to go around tight curves that would usually be found in goods yards. The new engines also had to have the ability to maintain high power, even after long periods of standing idle, and to reduce the need for the engines to regularly top-up their water tanks, the new engines could carry up to 1,500 imperial gallons of water in their tanks. The coal bunkers they had could carry up to 3 tons of coal.
The new Z-Class were designed at the S.R.'s rail works at Ashford, but the construction of them took place in Brighton, with the new design incorporating the boiler from the C3 Class 0-6-0 heavy freight locomotives. The new Z-Class were equipped with steam and vacuum brakes, as well as steam heating equipment so that they could work at shunting passenger stock if it ever became necessary. The first example of the new class, No.950, emerged from Brighton Works in March 1929, with the others following over the next six months, until the last example, No.957, emerged in September 1929, by which time eight examples had been built.
The Z Class were fitted with three cylinders, which were 16in in diameter with a 28in piston stroke, with Walschaerts valve gear, and eight driving wheels that were 4ft 8in in diameter. With the boiler pressed to 180psi, the class had a tractive effort of 29,375lbf. No superheaters were ever fitted to the class, as it was seen as unnecessary for engines who were going to be working on shunting duties. Due to their eight driving wheels, the Z Class had much better traction than the earlier 0-6-0 designs that worked before it, and the short wheelbase allowed the class to work over tight curves found in shunting yards.
There was a plan to build ten more members of the class at Eastleigh Locomotive Works, but due to the onset of the Great Depression, and a major reduction of freight traffic during that period of economic downturn, and so Maunsell cancelled the order for the next ten examples of the class.
During their working lives on the Southern, and then with the Southern Region of British Railways, the Z Class worked well in their duties of heavy shunters in places like Eastleigh, Norwood Junction, and Feltham, and proved to be very popular with the crews who worked on them. Though they worked at Nine Elms in London as well, they were less successful here, due to the fact that their buffer beams overhung the ends of the locomotives by 11ft, which could prove a problem when going around tight curves when shunting.
In December 1942, three examples were loaned to the War Department (W.D.) and saw service up in in Scotland, where they helped to move the vital troop trains and war materials over the winding routes up north. However, due to the fact that the regulators of the class worked in a way that was unfamiliar to Scottish crews, as well as due to the customised inside valve gear, the three were returned to the Southern Railway in 1943.
Upon nationalisation of the railways in January 1948, the Z Class had the number 30000 added to the original numbers, and so No.950 became No.30950, and so on with the other class members.
During the 1950's, as more of the newer diesel-electric shunters took over, the Z-Class were transferred to less demanding work in the freight yards at Brighton and Tonbridge, but near the end of their working lives, the entire class were moved to the Western section of the Southern Region, such as Exeter St. David's and Exeter Central. There, their tractive effort was put to good use in banking trains up the steep grades out of those two stations. In 1962, due to the reorganisation of the B.R. regions at that time, the Western Region took over the Western section of the Southern Region, and so the Z-Class were withdrawn from service between October and December 1962.
An attempt was made to preserve one example of the Z-Class, in the form of No.30952, with the intention of sending it to the Bluebell Railway in Sussex. No.30952 was withdrawn in November 1962 and stored at Exmouth Junction, and then at Fratton until the end of 1964. Sadly, the attempt to preserve the engine failed, and No.30952 was cut up for scrap at Cashmore's in Newport, South Wales in May 1965. And so, in this story, No.952 will appear as a tribute to the Z-Class engine that should have been preserved at the end of its working life, but ultimately never was.
"Oh, okay then." Carrie said.
"Let's get uncoupled from the train and then we'll head over to the main motive power depot." David said. Soon, one of the shunters had uncoupled Falcon from his train and had disconnected the pipes for the brakes. Once they were all clear to leave, David opened the regulator a little and Falcon rolled forwards a hundred yards or so until he went over the points. Then, as Falcon was brought to a stop and David wound the reversing gear all the way into reverse, the signalman switched the points and gave them the all clear to reverse back. With a hissing of steam and a short sounding of his whistle, Falcon rolled in reverse back on the line that ran beside Platform 4 and on over the long brick viaduct and towards the locomotive depot.
Not long after the sounds of Falcon had disappeared into the distance, No.952 coupled up to the line of now empty coaches that were left sitting at Platform 3, at the very back of the train where he could see into the observation coach. Then a short while later, having been coupled up and having the brake pipes attached, he was given the "all clear" to take the coaches away and, with a blast of his whistle, he set about moving them out of the station and towards the nearby coaching depot, where the coaches would be looked over and examined, as well as cleaned on the inside and out, before they went out again for the next train later in the day.
And that's it for this chapter, everyone! I promise you that this won't be the last chapter titled High Speed Run in this story. I am planning to include at least two or three more in the story as it goes on. And in each one, Carrie will be working on the footplate of a steam locomotive that's been designed for running at high speed on the railway.