Pendennis Castle Driving Experience

Take to the Regulator - Drive and Fire GWR No. 4079 Pendennis Castle

Take the controls of one of the most celebrated surviving Great Western Railway steam locomotives.

This unique experience gives you the opportunity to both drive and fire GWR No. 4079 Pendennis Castle on the Nene Valley Railway during its special visit from Didcot Railway Centre.

This exclusive package includes one hour of tuition followed by one hour on the footplate, working the locomotive with coaches. During the footplate session, two participants will take turns driving in one direction and firing in the other, covering approximately 12 miles.

What’s Included

• Welcome and briefing for the driver
• One hour of tuition
• Shared driving and firing experience aboard Pendennis Castle with coaches
• Opportunity to drive in one direction and fire in the other
• Approximately 12 miles of footplate experience
• Souvenir mug
• Lunch for the driver
• Presentation certificate

Price

£600 Per Person

About Pendennis Castle

Built at Swindon Works in February 1924, No. 4079 Pendennis Castle was the seventh of the Great Western Railway's famous Castle Class locomotives.

Its place in railway history was firmly established in 1925 when the GWR loaned Pendennis Castle to the London & North Eastern Railway for comparative trials against Sir Nigel Gresley's new Pacific locomotives, including No. 4472 Flying Scotsman. The trials helped demonstrate the impressive capabilities of the GWR's Castle Class.

In 1977, Pendennis Castle left Britain for Australia, where it remained for more than 23 years. One of the highlights of its time there came in 1989, when it was reunited with its old rival Flying Scotsman during Australia's bicentennial celebrations.

The locomotive finally returned to Britain in July 2000 and, following an extensive restoration, returned to steam at Didcot Railway Centre.

More than a century after it was built, Pendennis Castle remains an extraordinary survivor from the golden age of Great Western express steam.

Its visit to the Nene Valley Railway offers a rare opportunity not simply to see or travel behind this historic locomotive, but to take to the footplate and experience driving and firing it for yourself.

Pendennis Castle visits the Nene Valley Railway with kind thanks to Didcot Railway Centre.