Globetrotting steam locomotive to celebrate 100th anniversary in Staffordshire
The Churnet valley railway has announced a new visiting steam locomotive for May 2024.
The ๐ฒ๐ -๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ ๐ช๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐น๐ฒ ๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ก๐ผ. ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ณ๐ต โ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ป๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐น๐ฒโ is ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ต ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐๐ฎ๐.
During its visit to the Churnet Valley Railway, they will be holding a special gala weekend to celebrate the locomotive's 100th birthday.
May 2024 will signal the arrival of ex-GWR Castle No. 4079, the legendary "Pendennis Castleโ. No. 4079 which will be visiting the Churnet Valley Railway for the whole of May, courtesy of the Didcot Railway Centre.
During the month of May a special gala will take place to celebrate the centenary where the locomotive will take centre stage alongside other guest locomotives which are yet to be announced.
A spokesperson for the railway said
โYou might wonder what makes the visit of Pendennis Castle so special, well, let's rewind the clock 46 years. No. 4079 embarked on a remarkable journey, bidding farewell to English shores for a new life down under, where it was acquired by the Australian Hamersley Iron Company. It traversed the rugged Chichester Ranges, even sharing the tracks with the iconic Flying Scotsman locomotiveโan unforgettable spectacle reminiscent of their joint exhibition at the 1925 British Empire Exhibition.
But Pendennis Castle's globetrotting adventures began long before its Australian escapade. Fresh from the halls of the Great Western Railway Company's renowned Swindon Works, where it was meticulously crafted, this majestic locomotive embarked on a thrilling journey. In 1925, it was loaned to the London North Eastern Railway Company for groundbreaking trials, where it faced off against Sir Nigel Gresley's Mighty Pacific, including the legendary Flying Scotsman!
Pendennis Castle's international odyssey eventually came full circle in the year 2000 when it returned home, repatriated by the Didcot Railway Centre. A painstaking restoration journey ensued, with a few bumps along the way, including delays brought on by the pandemic. However, in April 2022, this magnificent locomotive was reborn, ready to reclaim its spot in railway history.โ