THE summer season for Midlands-based railtour operator Vintage Trains got off to an inauspicious start after the failure of its flagship steam loco GWR 4-6-0 No. 7029 Clun Castle, a ‘control’ issue, and then the failure and subsequent cancellation of a trip to Llandudno just two miles from its Tyseley base.
The discovery of a superheater header leak on Clun Castle just before a test run from Tyseley to Stratford-upon-Avon led to the loco being declared a failure, and a press launch special on July 29 was operated instead by Class 20 No. 20189 and Class 47 No. 47773. These locos also worked a circular trip to Leicester on the same evening.
Control issue
The ‘Castle’ would remain sidelined for several weeks in August while repairs were completed. So for the first of the season’s ‘Shakespeare Express’ trips on August 1, No. 20189 partnered No. 20227, and again on August 8.