A piece of historic railway heritage, the steam locomotive Clun Castle, was "robbed" of a chance to shatter a 60-year-old speed record between Plymouth and Bristol due to an unlikely encounter with overgrown trackside weeds. The unanticipated vegetation triggered automatic brakes, bringing the train to a stop on Friday (May 10).
Despite this hiccup, the Great Western Railway 1Z48 special service, fondly known as the Clun Castle, made its grand entrance into Bristol ahead of time, bringing joy to its 300 passengers. Enthusiasts lined the route, their eager cheers echoing as the elderly beast of steam-powered force thundered past towards Bristol Temple Meads station.
Michael Whitehouse, chair of the Vintage Trains charity that has custody of this historic locomotive, said it was still a "remarkable" performance for the Great Western Railway 1Z48, in spite of its attempt at the speed record being thwarted by shrubbery, reports Plymouth Live.
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He said: "Even though Clun Castle didn't break the record, it over-achieved on the two-day journey that took it from Birmingham to Bristol and Plymouth before then running non-stop to London Paddington.
"Clun Castle strode out of Plymouth, under the road bridge, to be greeted by a gallery of people. Driver Andy Taylor let the loco find her feet and to understand the load. Then the loco simply flew round the bends and reached 55 mph at the foot of the climb. We roared up the bank in fine style, fully understanding that the last few yards would ordinarily bring speed down to around 10 mph, such is the ferocity of the climb."
"But it was not to be, the drag increased and we came to a stand after only about six wheel revolutions. After a couple attempts at moving the piston position, it was clear that the loco was not going to move. Then we discovered that overgrown tree branches had knocked the tell tale 'butterfly' catches on a couple of coaches, causing the brakes to apply."
"There was fine running through Dawlish and along the estuary at Teignmouth and we arrived at Bristol three minutes early. A stunning achievement considering the load. We were to go on to London Paddington, non stop and unassisted, and Clun Castle arrived there for her first time since leaving in 1965 with BR WR's last steam passenger train. History has come full circle."
Clun Castle will be back in Plymouth on September 28 when it will run "double-headed" with sister locomotive The Earl of Mount Edgcumbe to haul The Mayflower train from Birmingham. Before then, both locomotives can be seen at Vintage Train's depot at Tyseley, near Birmingham, from where they operate regular services to Stratford-upon-Avon and other destinations.
