It's nearly 60 years since I last saw a Hawksworth ‘County’ in action. I always thought that, when viewed side on in its final form with a double chimney, the final flowering of the Great Western 4-6-0 looked more space-age than anything Swindon had ever produced before.
That double chimney, when coupled to its 30in stroke, produced such a resounding and distinctive bark. It's a sound that we will hopefully hear once again when the determined engineers at Didcot Railway Centre have finished turning a kit of parts into No. 1014 County of Glamorgan.
My fascination with Hawksworth's ‘Counties’ started on one day in 1954. There was always a tingle of anticipation when approaching Chester on a train from Birkenhead for there, on the left, was Chester West, the decrepit ex-Great Western shed.
I don't recall which ‘County’ it was, but its lined black paint had been well-polished and it looked majestic standing against the ancient shed wall. Chester West (coded 84K by BR) had four ‘Counties’ on its books in 1954: Nos. 1008 , 1022 1024 and 1026 (which replaced pioneer No. 1000 that spring). They shared Margate,
