GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Leamington Spa - BR Locomotives: gwrls936

Western D1007 'Western Talisman' double heads ex-GWR 4-6-0 Hall class No 5904 'Ketley Hall' on an up express train on 28th September 1963. Gerry Batchelor writes 'The first photograph taken on my first 35mm camera. I'd like to say something about the Hall coming to the rescue of the Western but that would only be partly true. D1007 had a failed heating boiler so the Hall was giving the passengers some comfort on a bright but cold day. It was of course also doing its share of the work! Note too the tender on No 5904 'Ketley Hall' it was, I was told, the eight wheel tender originally off the Great Bear.' Since the above was posted on the website John Hyde of Steam Archive has written to state that 'the tender is not from the Great Bear but was a unique eight-wheel tender designed by Collett for reasons unknown. They are easily distinguishable as the tender on the Great Bear was equipped with two bogies whilst the Collect design had four fixed axles.' D1007 was built at Swindon in August 1962 and was first allocated to Plymouth Laira shed. By June 1964 it was allocated to Cardiff Canton shed but when it was withdrawn from service in January 1974 it had returned to Plymouth Laira shed. D1007 was involved in a fatal accident at West Ealing in December 1973 due to an open battery box door and this was reason for its withdrawn after 1,160,000 miles service. Number 5904 was built at Swindon works in May 1931 and remained in service until November 1963 when it was withdrawn from St Philips shed in Bristol to be scrapped in July 1964 by Birds of Bridgend.

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