Today’s video features another very special tour from Vintage Trains! Flagship WR Castle Class 4-6-0 7029 Clun Castle was hauling “The Farewell to Steam Special” in a highly authentic recreation of a tour she hauled back in November 1965. The 2025 version would see 7029, with all its beautiful regalia and a specially commissioned GWR style buffer beam number, travel along many of her old stomping grounds including a full run of the Great Western Mainline (GWML) from Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads. The tour would see 7029 leave Paddington for the first time at the head of a train in 60 years, as well as it being the year of Rail200 among various other specialties. The tour departed Birmingham New Street and headed south with the diesel at the front towards London via Leamington, Banbury, Oxford and Reading, turning on the Greenford Triangle to allow 7029 to make a departure from Paddington facing the correct way round. 7029 then made her historic departure from the GWR’s former terminus, heading along the GWML through Slough, Reading, Didcot, Swindon and Bath to get to Bristol Temple Meads. She was then turned and took charge of the train for the run North towards Birmingham via Cheltenham Spa and the both the fearsome 1 in 37 Lickey Incline and Filton Bank out of Bristol. Upon arrival at back at Birmingham New Street the tour continued to Widney Manor to set down passengers and then returned to base at Tyseley. This tour is 7029’s last before an overhaul due to boiler ticket expiry, so it is quite fitting that she should be in charge of this train! SR Rebuilt West Country Class 4-6-2 34028 Eddystone was about today hauling RYTC’s The Chiltern Explorer from Manchester to Reading but sadly I was unable to get a shot of her. The weather for today was mostly overcast with patches of rain.
My first shot today was the departure from Birmingham New Street. Because the diesel had just dragged the train in from Tyseley, running round to get to the front in such a busy station was not an option so it detached to rejoin the front of the train at Small Heath instead. As a result, 7029’s departure from New Street was unassisted on load 10! I started out from my local at 7:04 and travelled there to catch this now rare spectacle unfold, impressively so. After, I headed toward London and met @harrymorris5748 at Reading. We caught an Elizabeth Line service to Hanwell; with 7029 once again at the head of the train, the 37 having given way to 7029 just outside of Southall to allow the train to turn in the correct format. Here, 7029 is sadly slightly bowled by an Elizabeth Line class 345 but luckily this doesn’t render the shot unusable. I then travelled to London Paddington for the big moment! Moans and grumbles were in abundance prior to the run about 7029’s pathing, with a Platform 12 departure and slow line running to Didcot. Thankfully the first of these fears was alleviated when 7029 was dragged into Platform 8 instead! 7029 is seen making a very loud departure with steam enveloping the camera and her bark ringing across the station. I then ran to catch the 14:48 GWR service to Swansea, which, with fast line running throughout to Reading, swiftly overtook 7029 and allowed me to get to Reading in time for a stopper to Goring & Streatley. The signallers then decided to throw the slow line running out the window and sent 7029 onto the fast line through here, seen absolutely rocketing through doing exactly what she was built to do! Having now met @adtrainvids9569, @danielstrainsukofficial9133, @lukealforduksteam, we headed now to Swindon, where another curious pathing arrangement which would have made the shot rubbish was planned. With the signallers’ evident willingness to change the plan, we headed there nonetheless hoping for a great run and we got it! 7029 belted through the station, giving long whistles for her birthplace of Swindon Works. Nice to meet @ehsteamvideos and @themodster here. At that, I began making my way back to the Midlands via Oxford, doing my best to get there avoiding the XC delays caused by a car fire on the line at Brockenhurst. Once I got to New Street, news filtered in that 7029 had left Bristol nearly an hour down due to the reversing move being mistakenly sent to Bristol Parkway, putting the final planned shot at Bromsgrove in jeopardy! Thankfully, the train made up lots of the lost time and came flying through, whistles galore and the regulator in the roof ready for an assault on the Lickey Incline’s 2 mile long 1-in-37 gradient. At that, I headed home.
Thank you very much to all who made today possible, thank you to Vintage Trains, to 7029 and her crews and to everyone involved at NR, GWR and XC (also thanks to XC and the RMT for agreeing to halt the planned XC strike!!). Thank you to my friends who made today even more fun and I hope you enjoy as I did!
Timestamps:
00:00 Birmingham New Street
01:45 Hanwell
02:45 London Paddington
04:16 Goring & Streatley
04:58 Swindon
05:51 Bromsgrove
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