No. 7029 was back in the Midlands on March 27, 1965, working Ian Allan’s ‘Lickey & Midlands Railtour’ from Paddington to Nottingham via Worcester. The return via Market Harborough, Bletchley and Princes Risborough is seen approaching Trent South Junction.
JF HENTON
Western locos made regular appearances at Leicester Central working interregional trains from the south that ran via Banbury and the Great Central main line, loco swaps usually taking place at Leicester. But ‘Castles’ were rare, so No. 7029 was probably a ‘cop’ for the two spotters as it leaves Leicester for Paddington on April 7, 1964, with an Ian Allan Special returning from Doncaster Works.
JA POWELL
The distinctive swing bridge gives away the location as Selby, as No. 7029 crosses on its way north from Peterborough to Newcastle with a Gainborough MRS tour to Newcastle on September 9, 1967 – one of a pair of tours that weekend that saw the loco work back to Peterborough the following day.
VCK ALLEN
Another pair of tours on September 30/October 1, 1967 saw No. 7029 first work the Peterborough to Carlisle via Settle leg of a tour from King’s Cross, then back as far as Leeds on the following day’s trip, it being unexpectedly taken off at Holbeck depot after a cleaning rag had fallen into the tender during a water stop and blocked the pipe to the loco. The ‘Castle’ is pictured at Carlisle ready for the second day’s tour south.
HAWTHORNE COLLECTION