GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Hockley Station: gwrhd3886

Ex-Great Western Railway 4-6-0 Castle class No 5056 'Earl of Powis' with a 'Cambrian Coast Express' headboard passes through Hockley Station on the Down Main Line (Note - there was no platform at Hockley for this line). The Train Identification Board numbers ‘183’ were allocated to this train between 1953 and 1957. The name ‘Cambrian Coast Express’ was officially introduced by the Great Western Railway in 1927 for the 10:10am departure from Paddington (Friday and Saturday only) for Aberystwyth, but although annotated with this name in the public timetable, the headboard was a later innovation by British Railways. The Train Identification Boards were introduced by the Great Western Railway for Summer Saturday express services on 14th July 1934, but the system was initially aimed at West Country peak holiday traffic (for more details see 'misc/headcodes'). By the 1930s the Cambrian Coast express was Saturday only (with restaurant car), departing Paddington at 10:20am with stops at Leamington (11:52am), Birmingham Snow Hill (12:25am), Wolverhampton (12:50am), Welshpool (2:02pm), Moat Lane Junction (2:36pm), Machynlleth (3:15pm), Dovey Junction (3:23pm), Borth (3:41pm) and arriving at Aberystwyth at 3:55pm.

Built in June 1936 at Swindon Works, No 5056 was part of lot 303 and was allocated to Old Oak Common (PDN). The locomotive was originally named ‘Ogmore Castle’, but this was changed to ‘Earl of Powis’ on 20th September 1937. This name had been originally been allocated to 4-4-0 (Earl) class No 3213, but was never carried by this locomotive (allegedly because it was too small for such an exalted personage). No 5057 was withdrawn from Oxley shed (Midland Region 2B) in November 1964 having travelled over 1,434,833 miles (last mileage recorded by British Railways in December 1963). The locomotive was sold to Cashmore at Great Bridge for disposal.

Robert Ferris

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