In this issue of STEAM DAYS we take a look at, in my opinion, one of the most handsome steam locomotives ever built – the Great Western ‘Castle’ class – in particular, the one celebrating 100 years since entering traffic in August 1923, No 4073 Caerphilly Castle. C.B. Collett’s four-cylinder ‘Castles’ were a development of the Churchward ‘Star’ class – another fine class of steam locomotive. Most of the same four or five ‘Castles’ allocated to Worcester, where I lived, were there for most of their working lives. For example, No 7005 Sir Edward Elgar arrived new in June 1946 and remained until withdrawal in December 1963.
At Worcester I was always keen to see the variety of locomotives that arrived from Paddington, Hereford and Wolverhampton, many of these trains being ‘Castle’ or ’Star’-hauled, especially in the late 1940s. One particular working from Paddington that I tried never to miss was the ‘7.25’. This train was the 4.45pm departure from Paddington that arrived at Worcester (Shrub Hill) at 7.25pm. Most of the time it would be worked by one of the 30-plus Old Oak Common ‘Castles’, but unusual sitings on this turn could take the form of a Bristol (Bath Road) ’Star’, a Tyseley ‘Hall’ or a Wolverhampton (Stafford Road) 4-6-0 or even, if you were very lucky, a Swindon or Westbury ‘Saint’. Most days a small group of us schoolboy spotters would cycle up to Shrub Hill station to meet the ‘7.25’ to see maybe a rare ‘Castle’ like one from far afield named after an Abbey or World War II aircraft, or even No 5069 Isambard Kingdom Brunel – I recall seeing both No 100 AI Lloyd’s and 111 Viscount Churchill on this train.
On arrival at Worcester (Shrub Hill), station some trains from Paddington would split, as did the ‘7.25’, the front portion of the train forming the 7.31pm train to Hereford, while the rear portion continued as the 7.41pm to Wolverhampton (Low Level). The train engine from Paddington would come off the formation
