7029 'Clun Castle' Returns to Paddington - 1Z48: 60th Anniversary - 11/05/24

7029 'Clun Castle' returns to London Paddington for the first time since the farewell to steam out of Paddington on 27th November 1965, with the Tyseley loco running the second day of Vintage Train's 1Z48 re-run from Plymouth and Bristol.

The original Ian Allen tour, which ran in 1964, marked the 60th anniversary since 3440 'City of Truro's claimed 100mph run, with the tour featuring 7029 achieving a record breaking non-stop run between Plymouth and Bristol, with a top speed of 96mph. The 1964 run saw the use of three other Castle Class locomotives: 4079 'Pendennis Castle', 5054 'Earl of Ducie' and 7025 'Sudeley Castle', in addition to GWR Hall Class 6999 'Capel Dewi Hall', which stood in for 4079 after failing at Westbury.

Seen first powering along the Great Western Mainline through Swindon station, where the tour comes within a couple hundred yards of City of Truro, along with first of the GWR Castles, 4073 'Caerphilly Castle'. Both engines currently reside on display in the STEAM Museum, housed in part of the former GWR works, where 7029 herself was built.

On arrival at London Paddington, 7029's first since 1965, crowds quickly gathered to grab photos of the historic moment, with the evening sunlight breaking through the canopy, all under of the watchful eye of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, with a statue of the GWR's father situated on Platforms 8 and 9.

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Filmed on 11th May 2024.