Past and Present - GWR 4-6-0 "HALL" 5MT
 6906 on the turntable at Nott'm Victoria |
On summer Saturday's Western region locos travelled up the GCR on the Bournemouth - Bradford train, and in 1964 after closure of Leicester shed the locos regularly reached Nottingham. This train was a great attraction to railfans. As an example, on 4th July 1964 I travelled to Nott'm from Derby Friargate behind Ivatt 43066, to Loughborough with class 31 D5687 (thankfully on a short-lived trial) and returned to Nott'm hauled by 6906 "Chicheley Hall". The journey was completed to Derby behind "B1" 61299.
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 Showing its mixed traffic pedigree, 6990 passes Woodthorpe (9) on a demonstration mixed goods train on 22nd June 1996 |
 With a typically large WR reporting number on the smokebox, 6990 leaves Loughborough on 21st June 1998 |
6990 "Witherslack Hall" was another engine recovered from Barry scrapyard, arriving at the GCR in 1975 and after lengthy rebuild entered traffic in 1986. This loco is most appropriate for the GCR as it worked the line during the locomotive exchange trials after Nationalisation of the railways in 1948.