Built in 1932 on the site of a former broad gauge depot, Didcot’s four-road engine shed could accommodate up to 24 locomotives (depending on type) and examples of the Castle class regularly passed through the adjacent station, including GWR 4-6-0 No. 4079 Pendennis Castle on April 17, 1964 – just a short while before withdrawal.
With four roads leading into the structure, which remains largely unaltered since its closure by BR in 1965, it proved an ideal venue for the March 4 occasion, with plenty of space for crowds to amass and photograph the line-up of locomotives and several unique opportunities throughout the day making use of the whole site.
Nos. 4079 and 5051 both reside at the centre and were waiting outside the shed adjacent to the water cranes, ready to greet the arriving public at the start of the day. But the most exciting aspect of the event was undoubtedly the arrival the final two sister locomotives – Nos. 7029 and 5043 (the latter had returned to steam and
