Double Headed Castles at Full Speed! | 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe & 7029 Clun Castle | 4/3/23

Описание: Today's video was very special indeed. Great Western Castles, as you may all know, are my top favourite steam locomotives. Not only are they built by my favourite company, the Great Western Railway, they're also absolutely brilliant locomotives. Today 2 of them (in fact both double chimneyed, a preservation first if I'm correct) double headed a special Comunity Benefit Society shareholders' only tour to Didcot from Birmingham Snow Hill; these were 7029 'Clun Castle' and 5043 'Earl of Mount Edgcumbe', which was recently outshopped from overhaul. At the Didcot Railway Centre, for which I obtained entry, they met 5051 Drysllwyn Castle and 4079 Pendennis Castle!! On the outward, 1Z29, was piloted by 7029, however for the return, they alternated, so 5043 piloted the return, 1Z43.

We start off at Lapworth, where I was kindly dropped off by my parents. I heard the pair loud and clear leaving Dorridge in the distance and listened keenly as the sound got louder and louder. Shattering the morning piece, they thundered through at speed. Next was to get to Didcot - an unenviable task given that Bentley Heath Level Crossing had broken and my service south was stuck. After 45 minutes it became unstuck but I missed connections so I only arrived at Didcot a few minutes before 12. I met ‪@LiamsLocos‬ at Banbury, and I met Charlie at Kings Sutton.

Now it was for the Four Castles at Didcot event; it was pure steam bliss for a couple of hours - 4079, 5051, 7029 and 5043 lined up as well as 4144 running on the demonstration line and locomotives like 5900 Hinderton Hall, 6023 Kind Edward II and 3822 were stationed in the shed for us to observe. I also met ‪@blackcountrysteamvideos8021‬, ‪@adtrainvids9569‬, ‪@SYKAROST‬, ‪@themodster‬, ‪@JakeBSteam‬ and @Harry Morris inside the centre. I would highly recommend a visit to Didcot Railway Centre as it's very interactive and lets you get very close to live steam action.

Now it was onto the return. At Didcot Parkway I met ‪@danielstrainsukofficial9133‬ and ‪@WestCountrySteamVideos‬ and we all clambered onto a service bound for Banbury at 14:06. Tom (Modster) and Daniel opted for Culham, Tom and Arlo opted for Radley and I continued on to Oxford with Luke and Liam. I decided on Oxford and let them continue to Hatton. Oxford was a gamble - where I was set up was a prime spot to be bowled by an incoming Vomiter, however that thankfully cleared in enough time as the pair of Castles were running a tad late. Having said that, they absolutely thrashed through the centre road at full whack. It was amazing! I then met ‪@Sim0nTrains‬ and @DAVID GRIFFIN for a Vomiter train to Banbury, where I saw the Castles again very briefly as they were held for my chiltern service to Warwick Parkway. I got off, and only a few minutes later, the pair came thrashing through again, gaining power for their assault on the steeply graded 1 in 100 Hatton Bank. After this I went home, meeting Liam, ‪@FlatCapJack52‬ and Luke again on the way. A mate of mine also sent in a shot at Solihull, thank you mate!!

Today was plain awesome. The sounds I heard from those Castles is unparalleled to what I've heard before, and it was great to see 5043 in action, as well as visiting the Didcot Railway Centre for the first time. Thank you again to everyone I met, to Didcot, Vintage Trains, NR, GWR, XC, Chiltern, the crew and the mighty Castles themselves. Hope you enjoy as I very much did!!

Timestamps:
Outward (Lapworth) 00:00
Didcot Railway Centre scenes 00:50
Return (Oxford, Warwick Parkway, Solihull) 03:37