GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Leamington Spa - GWR Locomotives: gwrls899

GWR 4-6-0 Hall class No 4994 'Dowton Hall' is seen at the head of the 1.56pm Portsmouth Harbour to Wolverhampton service on a summer Saturday during 1936. John Copsey noted 'When run alone, this service was scheduled for a ten-coach train of Southern stock, but when a relief ran, it utilised the GWR stock of the 8.50am Birmingham to Portsmouth, as seen here. Surviving records indicate that only the main train ran on August Bank holiday Saturday, 1st August but both ran on 15th August, when the return traffic was heavier'. Number 4994 was built at Swindon works in February 1931 and remained in service until March 1963 when it was withdrawn from Didcot shed although it was not cut up until January 1961 when it was scrapped by J Cashmore of Newport.

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