Great Western Railway 4-6-0 No. 4079 'Pendennis Castle'
Didcot, Berkshire, UK 		Location: Didcot Railway Centre
Status: Operational
Posted: May 28, 2025 @ 12:05:33 by Russell Newman
The famous ex GWR Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 4079 "Pendennis Castle", is to visit the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway for the very first time for their Steam Gala from the 31st of October to the 2nd of November 2025, and will be the first ex Great Western Railway Castle Class 4-6-0 to operate along the line in preservation.
Posted: May 13, 2025 @ 14:05:33 by Russell Newman
As part of its reunion with "Flying Scotsman" for the first time since they last met out in Australia in 1989 and to mark 100 years when they first met at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley in London in 1925, the famous ex GWR Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 4079 "Pendennis Castle", has been repainted and has been paired with a smaller 3,500 gallon tender, rather than the 4,000 gallon design she was later given. This pairing of tender is how No. 4079 looked when she was new in 1924 and when she met "Flying Scotsman" for the first time in 1925. The smaller 3,500 gallon tender has been borrowed from ex GWR 4300 Class 2-6-0 No. 5322 for the the reunion.
Posted: Feb 9, 2025 @ 12:02:34 by Russell Newman
Following repairs carried out, the famous ex GWR Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 4079 "Pendennis Castle", has undergone a steam test at Didcot which has gone well and the locomotive is set for another season both at Didcot Railway Centre and out on the heritage railway circuit in 2025. 2025 is a special year for "Pendennis Castle" as its 100 years since her meeting with her famous rival the worlds most famous locomotive ex LNER A3 Class Pacific No. 60103 (No. 4472) "Flying Scotsman", from when they first met at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley in London in 1925. To mark this from the 14th of May until the 2nd of June 2025 the two famous steam locomotives will meet again which this will be the first time both "Pendennis Castle" and "Flying Scotsman" will be seen together for the first time since they last met up out in Australia in 1989.
Posted: Sep 2, 2024 @ 13:09:37 by Russell Newman
The famous ex GWR Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 4079 "Pendennis Castle", has had to be temporarily withdrawn from service following some issue with the locomotive. An issue has been found with possible boiler water carry over to the cylinders, initial investigation work has found a number of concerns that need to be fixed, and the decision has been made by the Didcot Railway Centre to withdraw the locomotive from service for repairs. Which this means that 4079’s visit to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway for their Annual Steam Gala has had to be cancelled. It is hoped that "Pendennis Castle" will be back operation and out on the heritage railway circuit again in 2025.
Posted: Jul 17, 2024 @ 12:07:11 by Russell Newman
The famous ex GWR Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 4079 "Pendennis Castle", is to make her first ever visit the North Yorkshire Moors Railway where she will be their star visiting locomotive for their Annual Steam Gala from the 26th to 29th of September 2024.
Posted: Jan 31, 2024 @ 06:01:55 by Russell Newman
During her visit to the East Lancashire Railway, No. 4079 "Pendennis Castle", will take part in a mixed traction Western Region Weekend on the 13th and 14th of April 2024, where No. 4079 will run alongside some of the Western Region Diesel fleet based at the East Lancashire Railway from Class 14 0-6-0 "Teddy Baer" No. D9531 "Ernest", "Hymek" Class 35 No. D7076, "Warship" Class No. 832 "Onslaught", "Peak" Class 45 No. 45108 and Class 50 50015 "Valiant", along with "Bubblecar" No. W55001 during the event.
Posted: Jan 7, 2024 @ 13:01:37 by Russell Newman
As part of her 100th birthday tour of preserved railways around the UK for 2024, the famous ex GWR Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 4079 "Pendennis Castle", is to make a special visit to the Churnet Valley Railway in Staffordshire for the first time during the whole of May 2024. During her visit there No. 4079 will take part in a very special Steam Gala Weekend to celebrate her 100th birthday, alongside other visiting steam locomotives as well as the Churnet Valley Railway’s own steam locomotive fleet.
Posted: Jan 6, 2024 @ 12:01:54 by Russell Newman
2024 marks a very special year for the famous ex GWR Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 4079 "Pendennis Castle", as the locomotive celebrates its 100th birthday, and to kicke start her visits out on the heritage railway circuit around the UK, No. 4079 will be the star visiting locomotive at Keighley & Worth Valley Railway for the first time at their Spring Steam Gala from the 21st to 24th of March 2024. A 100th birthday celebration is also being planned for the locomotive at Didcot on the 2nd and 3rd of March 2024.
Posted: Dec 14, 2023 @ 14:12:34 by Russell Newman
The famous ex GWR Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 4079 "Pendennis Castle" will again be out on her travels around the UK heritage railway circuit in 2024, as No. 4079 will be visiting the East Lancashire Railway for the very first time during April 2024. During her visit then No. 4079 will be operating normal train services in April as well as hauling a range of dining trains, at the East Lancashire Railway from the 10th to 28th of April 2024.
Posted: May 11, 2023 @ 11:05:41 by Russell Newman
The famous ex GWR Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 4079 "Pendennis Castle" will visit the Epping Ongar Railway in Essex for the very first time to star at their Steam Gala Weekend from the 23rd to 25th of June 2023. This visit will be the first time since 1964 that No. 4079 will operate near London.
Posted: Feb 4, 2023 @ 10:02:44 by Russell Newman
As part of her tour of preserved railways around the UK since her return from Australia and return to steam again, the famous ex GWR Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 4079 "Pendennis Castle" will be visiting the Watercress line (Mid Hants Railway) for the first time to be their star visiting locomotive at their Spring Steam Gala from the 29th of April to 1st of May 2023.
Posted: Feb 1, 2023 @ 13:02:21 by Russell Newman
The next preserved railway that No. 4079 "Pendennis Castle" will visit since her return from Australia will the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway where she will be their star visiting locomotive for their Cotswold Festival of Steam Gala from the 12th to 14th of May 2023.
Posted: Jan 31, 2023 @ 11:01:19 by Russell Newman
As part of the celebrations of 100 years of the GWR Castle Class, the famous ex GWR Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 4079 "Pendennis Castle" will be visiting Tyseley locomotive works for their Castle 100 Open Weekend on the 17th and 18th of June 2023. This will be the first time since 1977 that No. 4079 was last seen at Tyseley as back then she worked her final mainline railtour in the UK "The Great Western Envoy" from Tyseley to Didcot prior to her being exported to Australia then.
Posted: Jan 25, 2023 @ 10:01:53 by Russell Newman
The famous ex GWR Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 4079 "Pendennis Castle" is to start touring the heritage railway circuit around the UK this year as No. 4079 is to be the star visiting locomotive at the Severn Valley Railway’s Spring Steam Gala from the 14th to 16th of April 2023. This will be the first time that "Pendennis Castle" has ever visited a preserved railway since her repatriation from Australia.
Posted: Nov 11, 2022 @ 15:11:24 by Russell Newman
2023 will mark the 100 anniversary of the formation of the Big Four Railway Companys of the UK in 1923. As part of this on March the 4th 2023, the famous ex GWR Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 4079 "Pendennis Castle" will be part of a Special Event at Didcot that will see a line-up of four Great Western Railway Castle Class locomotives together, as No. 4079 will be re-united with sister GWR Castle No. 7029 "Clun Castle" from Tyseley Locomotive works for the first time since 1967. As well as No. 7029 "Clun Castle", No. 4079 "Pendennis Castle" will also be joined by the freshly overhauled No. 5043 "Earl of Mount Edgcumbe" and Didcot based No. 5051 "Drysllwyn Castle"/"Earl Bathurst" for the line-up then. In return No. 4079 "Pendennis Castle" will visit Tyseley Locomotive works for a open day event in 2023.
Posted: Apr 2, 2022 @ 14:04:59 by Russell Newman
The famous ex GWR Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 4079 "Pendennis Castle" had a very successful launch into traffic at Didcot Railway Centre today and really wwed the crowds. No. 4079 will remain at Didcot for the remainder of 2022 for running in before she starts touring the UK heritage railway circuit from 2023 and their are plans afoot for the locomotive to visit both the Severn Valley Railway and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
Posted: Feb 5, 2022 @ 09:02:10 by Russell Newman
After 23 years out in Australia and 21 of overhaul and rebuilding the famous ex GWR Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 4079 "Pendennis Castle" is now operational again for the first time since her last steaming in Australia in October 1994. No. 4079 is now undergoing test runs and running trials at her home at Didcot Railway Centre in readiness for her relaunch into traffic at a special weekend for the locomotive on the 2nd and 3rd of April 2022. After this No. 4079 will operated at Didcot and travel around the UK visiting other preserved railways for Gala events and spot hire.
Posted: Dec 2, 2021 @ 14:12:21 by Russell Newman
The famous ex GWR Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 4079 "Pendennis Castle" will be soon start test runs and running trials behind closed doors this winter at Didcot in readyness for her big lauch into service from April 2022.
Posted: Aug 4, 2021 @ 12:08:07 by Russell Newman
No. 4079 is to make her first public steaming for the first time in the UK since 1977 and also since her last steaming in Australia in 1994 during the bank holiday steam up at Didcot over the bank holiday weekend of August 28th to 30th 2021. This will see the locomotive move under steam for the very first time since being repatriated from Australia in 2000 and will mark the end of her restoration. It is planned for the locomotive to run in the yard at Didcot and be turned on the turntable during the steam up, but it will not be hauling any trains just yet.
Posted: Nov 28, 2020 @ 10:11:49 by Russell Newman
Another big milestone for the famous 4079 as her boiler was reunited with the frames following a successful steam test. A lot of work has been carried out on the locomotive since she was repatriated from Australia in 2000. Work on the boiler has included attention to the stays the crown stays in particular seam and foundation ring rivets and a complete re-tube. The big tasks tackled over the past two decades include removal of the electrical fittings and an antipodean air-brake system she acquired during her time in Australia renewal of almost the entire drag box, new cylinder drain cocks, and the fitting of new cylinder liners. It is hoped that 4079 will be launched into traffic in the summer of 2021 as the locomotive will have a big part in the 60th Anniversary celebrations of the Great Western Society then as well as being hired out for visits to preserved railways around the UK.
Posted: Nov 4, 2020 @ 13:11:03 by Russell Newman
A big milestone was reached in the overhaul and rebuild of 4079 as her boiler was steamed for the first time since her last steaming in Australia in 1994 and it was also the first time it had been steam in the UK since 1977. As the boiler underwent its steam test on the 3rd of October 2020 passed with flying colors. The boiler will be returned to the frames of the locomotive for final work in readiness for 4079 to enter service in the UK again for the first time since 1977 in 2021.
Posted: May 14, 2020 @ 06:05:05 by Russell Newman
No. 4079 has been moved into the lifting shop at Didcot for her boiler to be lifted out of her frames for the final stage of her overhaul since her repatriation from Australia. As there is pipe work that needs replacing before the locomotive can enter service on the heritage railway circuit.
Posted: Dec 5, 2019 @ 14:12:59 by Russell Newman
It has been announced by the Great Western Society in the Railway Magazine that No. 4079 along with No. 6023 "King Edward II" will now only operate on preserved railways around the UK only when she returns to steam in 2 years time as the plans to take 4079 on the mainline have now been abandon due to cost and the tight regulations of Network Rail. So 4079 will be put to good use on the UK heritage Railway Circuit for now.
Posted: Oct 13, 2019 @ 11:10:56 by Russell Newman
No. 4079 is one of the most famous steam locomotives in the world. Built in 1924 at Swindon she was allocated to Old Oak Common Depot from new. In 1925 she was put on display at the Great Wembley Exhibition along side "Flying Scotsman" and in the same year the locomotive was loaned to the LNER for a series of trial runs from London Kings Cross to Leeds which No. 4079 came out on top. Withdrawn from service in 1964 she was bought privately for preservation and operated on the mainlines during the last years of steam in the late 1960s and the early 1970s. In 1977 No. 4079 was sold for preservation to Australia where she was operated and based for 23 years on the Hamersley Iron Railway in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. In 1989 No. 4079 was taken down to Perth to be reunited with No. 4472 "Flying Scotsman" which was touring Australia at the time for a series of railtours round Western Australia then. 4079 was last steamed in Australia in 1994 as she was in need of heavy repairs and a overhaul but happily in 2000 she was shipped back home to the UK and to be placed in the care of the Great Western Society at Didcot.
Posted: Nov 11, 2002 @ 09:11:32 by Doug Bailey
This locomotive was repatriated to the UK from Australia in 2000. Donated to Didcot by Hamersley Iron Co.