Saturday 25th September 2021 brought about the long awaited return of Great Western steam to the South of England for the first time since late 2019, as Tyseley's flagship, 7029 'Clun Castle', hauled the 'SLS Special' from Tyseley to Swindon and back. Running outwards via Gloucester and Kemble, then returning via Oxford and Banbury, this run marked the 70th anniversary of the Stephenson Locomotive Society's special trains from Birmingham to the GWR Mecca of Swindon and its famous railway works. Organised by Arthur ‘Cam’ Camwell, the Midland Branch Secretary of the SLS, these trips became somewhat of an annual event and were usually worked by a GWR locomotive, either being a famous one, or the last member of its class.
In this video, we hear Clun raising the echoes on the outward run, as she forges her way up the steep and twisting climb of Sapperton Bank with the equivalent of around 12 coaches on the hook, as 47773 provides no assistance from the rear. The return run sees us at Grove Wick Crossing on the Great Western Main Line, a location I have wanted to try out for a while. With the camera's zoom extended to its fullest, we see the GWR thoroughbred hammering up the main line towards us before cutting to a wider angle for the main pass at her maximum permitted speed of 75mph. What a sight!
Timestamps:
00:00 Sapperton Bank
03:33 Grove Wick Crossing
Filmed on a Panasonic HC-X1500 with an Audio-Technica BP4025 microphone.
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