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The_Mayflower_04_Earl_of_Mount_Edgcumbe_close_up No.5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe is a GWR-built locomotive, having emerged from Swindon Works in March 1936 with its original name of Barbury Castle. In September 1937 it was renamed Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, a member of the Board of Directors of the GWR. The engine was fitted with a 4-row superheater and double chimney in October 1958, but even before that modification No.5043 was renowned as one of the very best of the Castle Class, often being used on the high-speed Bristolian express. Withdrawn in December 1963, the locomotive went to the Barry scrapyard of Messrs. Woodhams, where it rested until September 1973 and purchase by Birmingham Railway Museum, initially as a source of spares for No.7029 Clun Castle. In 1996, the decision was made to restore No.5043 to running condition and in subsequent preservation, its high reputation has been very much retained! For example, on 16th October 2010, hauling a southbound special train over the Settle and Carlisle route (The Long Drag), such was the attack made on the long gradients, that No.5043 was credited with a power output of 2030 edhp (estimated drawbar horse power). That is a record for a Castle Class engine and a greater power output than the first-generation diesel-hydraulic locomotives introduced to replace, among others, the Castles! What is more, in a May 2014 run, to mark the 50th anniversary of Clun Castle's Plymouth - Bristol record time, No.5043 beat the record by three minutes! Thus it is very fitting that the 1964 and 2014 record-breakers were employed in double-harness, to power the Mayflower. roger.griffiths@hotmail.com

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The_Mayflower_09_Plymouth_5043_coaling Still attached to the crew support coach, No.5043 takes its turn to be re-coaled. roger.griffiths@hotmail.com

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The_Mayflower_11_Plymouth_5043_oiling_round The locomotive's fireman attends to the oiling-round of the inside valve gear and cylinders of No.5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe. Castle Class cylinders have a 16.5 inch Diameter and 26 inch piston stroke; the diving wheels are 6 feet, eight and a half inches in diameter. roger.griffiths@hotmail.com

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The_Mayflower_14_Plymouth_5043_tender A contrast in tenders (2). The flat-sided tender attached to Earl of Mount Edgcumbe was designed by F.W.Hawksworth, the GWR's last locomotive engineer (1941 - 1947). The vehicle also carries 4000 gallons of water but only 6 tons of coal, and as it was subject to a major rebuilding, it is no longer fitted with a water scoop underneath. That was a device which allowed the pick-up, at speed, of water from troughs situated between the rails, none of which of course, now exist. The lion arching over a wheel emblem visible, was the first such device, replacing the words BRITISH RAILWAYS, carried by locomotives from 1948 to 1949. roger.griffiths@hotmail.com

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The_Mayflower_15_Plymouth_5043_simmering Having been fully serviced, both Castles and their support coach rested in a bay platform at Plymouth, quietly simmering as they waited to start the return journey to Bristol. The engines were the subject of non-stop photography and discussion by those travelling on the train and many members of the public who entered the station, just to have a look. roger.griffiths@hotmail.com

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The_Mayflower_02_Bristol_Temple_Meads_Platform_15 There was an operating confusion at Bristol Temple Meads station as to which platform the train would arrive at; first it was Platform 6, then Platform 12 and finally, Platform 15! Nos.7029 and 5043 arrive at Platform 15, from where the confusion resulted in a 25-minute late departure. roger.griffiths@hotmail.com

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The_Mayflower_03_Plymouth_arrival Castle 4-6-0s No.7029 and 5043 are seen at Plymouth, having converted the Mayflower's 25-minute late departure to an eight-minute early arrival! The twelve coach, 450-ton train, in the GWR's chocolate and cream livery, had every seat filled, with the 500 passengers being treated to loud and rousing assaults upon the inclines of South Devon: Wellington Bank (4 miles, maximum grade 1 in 80); Dainton Bank (3 miles, maximum grade 1 in 36); Rattery Bank (8 to a maximum of 75 miles per hour (mph) and the two Castles were able to maintain that speed for mile upon mile, with a little excess - on two occasions briefly reaching 80 mph. All along the 127-mile route, many hundreds of people were at stations and numerous other vantage points to see the train pass. Such is the film star quality in Britain, of the steam locomotive! roger.griffiths@hotmail.com Binary file /pix/gb/steam/GWR/4073_Castle/7029/The_Mayflower_03_Plymouth_arrival.txt matches

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The_Mayflower_07_7029_&_5043_move_support_coach After arrival at Plymouth, both Castles manoeuvred to attach at each end of the crew's support coach. They then left the station for the traction depot at Laira, where they would be turned on a triangle and return to Plymouth station. roger.griffiths@hotmail.com

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The_Mayflower_16_7029_+_5043_arrival_Bristol_Temple_Meads The return from Plymouth to Bristol was equally as exciting and noisy, as the South Devon inclines had to be breasted in the easterly direction, starting with the almost immediate, two and a half miles at a constant 1 in 42, of Hemerdon Bank. Once over those obstacles came continuous high speed running at 75 mph - and slightly more! - to allow an on-time arrival in Bristol. Their work over, Nos.7029 and 5043 reflect the lights of Bristol's Temple Meads station, before they come off the train, to be replaced by a pair of diesels for the last leg of the Mayflower's journey, back to Birmingham. Nowadays, the station has most sections subject to a Grade One Listing, so it must be preserved in the best possible condition. Accordingly, much work is underway for a large scale refurbishment of the 1875 arched roof. roger.griffiths@hotmail.com