Uploaded April 2023 | Updated September 2026, 23 hours ago
Great Western 4079 'Pendennis Castle' is finally seen stretching its legs after nearly 30 years in the wilderness. Loaded test runs were scheduled for Easter Sunday on the Severn Valley Railway in preparation for its headline appearance on the SVR Spring Steam Gala. This is first time the single chimney Castle class has pulled any train at distance since 1994 in Australia. The locomotive finally returned to British Soil in July 2000 after its stint down under. The Castle class was fully restored and returned to steam in April 2022 at Didcot Railway Centre and just one year later, on Easter Sunday it would finally turn its wheels in anger !
While the main premise of the video is about 4079, we were also treated to our first sight of 34027 in its temporary Wartime Black Livery as the locomotive is now in its last year of operational running before overhaul. The rebuilt light pacific had spent most of last year in its purple/pink livery in recognition of the Queens Jubilee which to say was controversial would be an understatement. With just less than a year of operational running left it was deemed pointless of returning Taw Valley to its original guise with the impending overhaul on the horizon. 34027 is captured on the Easter Sunday hauling nine coaches and sounding superb !
I hope you enjoy the video.
Great Western 4079 'Pendennis Castle' is finally seen stretching its legs after nearly 30 years in the wilderness. Loaded test runs were scheduled for Easter Sunday on the Severn Valley Railway in preparation for its headline appearance on the SVR Spring Steam Gala. This is first time the single chimney Castle class has pulled any train at distance since 1994 in Australia. The locomotive finally returned to British Soil in July 2000 after its stint down under. The Castle class was fully restored and returned to steam in April 2022 at Didcot Railway Centre and just one year later, on Easter Sunday it would finally turn its wheels in anger !
While the main premise of the video is about 4079, we were also treated to our first sight of 34027 in its temporary Wartime Black Livery as the locomotive is now in its last year of operational running before overhaul. The rebuilt light pacific had spent most of last year in its purple/pink livery in recognition of the Queens Jubilee which to say was controversial would be an understatement. With just less than a year of operational running left it was deemed pointless of returning Taw Valley to its original guise with the impending overhaul on the horizon. 34027 is captured on the Easter Sunday hauling nine coaches and sounding superb !
I hope you enjoy the video.
