7029 Clun Castle roars up the North Warwicks Line! The Leicester Shakespeare Express | 10/8/25

Описание: Today's video features WR Castle Class 4-6-0 7029 Clun Castle hauling this year's only run of Vintage Trains’ extended Shakespeare Expresses from Leicester! Having originated in Leicester, the tour travelled via Hinckley, Nuneaton and Coleshill to the outskirts of Birmingham from where it steamed down to Hatton via the Chiltern Mainline through Solihull. Here the train was turned and dragged to Stratford upon Avon. Facing the right way now, she performed a return trip back to Birmingham, outward via the Chiltern Mainline and returning via the North Warwicks Line via Henley and Shirley! Then after returning tender first to Stratford, she returned again along the North Warwicks Line and then the same route as outward back to Leicester. Today's weather was once again after yesterday quite hot and sunny.

I started the day by taking a WMR train from my local to Solihull, where I met ‪@harnettyrailways‬, ‪@harrymorris5748‬ and two others. 7029 is seen powering through at high speed! Following this, the Castle was due for a pathing stop in Dorridge platform 3 due to a Chiltern train directly behind. We caught it from Solihull to Dorridge, from where we were able to catch 7029 leaving after our train had departed heading Southbound. After this, a quick lunch break was in order before returning to Dorridge bridge just prior to the station. Unfortunately the signallers failed to close Bentley Heath crossing in time for 7029's runpast so the performance was quite disappointing. Following this, we headed into Birmingham to see 7029 run round its train at Moor Street. A quick hop down to The Lakes later, and we were walking to Wood End, a shot I've been waiting for good lighting to do for a while. Here, 7029 roars out of Wood End Tunnel spectacularly, powering up the 1 in150 gradient from Bearley Juncftion.