HEMERDON STALL
An
attempt on May 11 to re-create No. 7029 Clun Castle’s famous 1964 nonstop run from Plymouth to Bristol (in a then-record time of just over 133 minutes) was thwarted when the train came to a halt soon after departure on the climb to Hemerdon. The run 60 years ago on May 9, 1964 was part of Ian Allan’s ‘Great Western High Speed Railtour’ – a swansong to Western Region steam from Paddington. This year’s tour by Vintage Trains was a two-day affair, running from Snow Hill to Plymouth via Oxford on May 10, then Plymouth to Snow Hill via Bristol and Paddington the following day. There has been much speculation about why the train stalled, but no official confirmation by the time this issue went to press, and we will have a full account from on board the tour in next month’s issue. The stalled train is pictured near the summit of Hemerdon, awaiting rescue by following diesel No. 47773.