The Zulu Golden Jubilee with 7007 'Great Western' and 5048 'Earl of Devon' - May 9th 2024

2024 marks 60 years since the Ian Allan Z48 'Great Western High Speed Railtour' from London Paddington to Plymouth and return on May 9th 1964, which was itself the 60th anniversary since the alleged 100mph run by GWR City 4-4-0 No. 3440 'City of Truro' on May 9th 1904. With the end of Western Region steam on the horizon, British Railways pulled out all the stops, selecting the best of the surviving Castle Class locomotives with the best Welsh coal for the tour. The occasion was marked with a joint effort between Railway Timelines Limited, the North Somerset Railway and the Esthwaite Branch Preservation Society, with 'The Zulu Golden Jubilee' railtour.
The train was diesel hauled from Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads, where RTL Castle No. 7007 'Great Western' would take it onwards to Plymouth. Our first view is of 7007 powering towards Whiteball Tunnel, at the summit of Wellington Bank, its 9 coach load not seeming to bother it in the slightest. Next it's onto the coast as 7007 is seen approaching Starcross, and then whistling through Dawlish. Meanwhile, on the North Somerset Railway, classmate No. 5048 'Earl of Devon' from the Ottery Preservation Society is marking the occasion, by running as No. 5054 'Earl of Ducie' and carrying a temporary BR Late Crest on the tender. The engine is seen making light work of the 1:48 Conduit Hill Bank with the 10:31 Frome Market - Radstock service.
0:05 - 7007 Whiteball
0:35 - 7007 Starcross
1:15 - 7007 Dawlish
2:01 - 5048 Conduit Hill Bank
Thumbnail - 7007 accelerates through Exeter St Thomas.
If you enjoyed this video, please consider subscribing and joining the RTL Discord server linked below, where I upload raw clips and screenshots of my runs, like you see in my thumbnails.
This was recorded in Train Simulator in May 2024 using the Xbox Game Bar, and edited in June 2024 using Microsoft Clipchamp. Apologies for the lag, the PLD Castle is rough even on decent PCs.