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4079 "Pendennis Castle" was the seventh of 171 "Castle" class
engines built at the Great Western Railway's workshops in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. She was completed during
March 1924. Towards the end of April 1925, she earned a place in history when she took part in locomotive engine trials with
the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), proving her superiority over Sir Nigel Gresley's "Pacific" class on
the London - Edinburgh East Coast line. Sir Felix Pole, General Manager of the GWR, proposed to Alexander Wilson,
Southern Area Manager for the LNER, that the trial should take place, even though Gresley knew nothing about it. 4079 "Pendennis Castle" competed against 2545 "Diamond Jubilee". The LNER expected that as their engine was
larger, it would win the trials, hands down, expecting "Pendennis Castle" to falter on the Holloway Bank whilst
hauling the 480 ton Doncaster bound express. So you can imagine the LNER's surprise when she passed Holloway Bank
and Finsbury Park in less time than had ever been achieved by any LNER "Pacific" and without any wheel slip! Following this victorious trial, the GWR decided that 4079 "Pendennis Castle" should replace 4073 "Caerphilly
Castle" at the forthcoming British Empire Exhibition to be held during October 1925. It was here that she proudly
stood alongside 4472 "Flying Scotsman" Pendennis Castle was withdrawn from service during 1964 following an accident on 9 May 1964 - she was working
a special train to commemorate the 60th anniversary of "City of Truro’s" 100mph record run and some firebars collapsed
while the train was travelling at over 90mph - and still accelerating! This failure caused severe damage
to the driving wheel axleboxes and Pendennis Castle was immediately condemned. Shortly afterwards, she was purchased for
preservation by Mike Higson, and appeared at one of the first open days held by the Great Western Society's open days
at Taplow, Bucks during 1965. Shortly after this, she was sold to the Hon John Gretton and Bill McAlpine and was
based at Didcot just before the GWS established what is now the Didcot Railway Centre. She was sold during 1977 to Hamersley Iron in Western Australia, and left England on 29 May 1977, having visited
the Didcot Railway Centre just two days earlier. Click here to see some interesting statistical information about 4079 "Pendennis Castle"
Release 1.0a/2000-01-29
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