There were other ‘Castle’ name changes

THANK you for the supplement sent with the March 2019 issue. 

Item 24 states the name Penrice Castle was carried by three separate members of the same class. That is true, but it also applies to eight other ‘Castle’ names.

Even more remarkably, the names Denbigh Castle and Ogmore Castle were each carried by four separate members of the class.  

The first pair – Nos. 5049 and 5056 – became Earl of Plymouth and Earl of Powis after a year in service, in an exercise to restore proper dignity to the 20 noble Earls who had been ‘humiliated’ by their names being allocated to the ancient-looking ‘Dukedogs’. 

The names reappeared on Nos. 5074 and 5080, which were duly renamed Hampden and Defiant after RAF aircraft used during the Second World War.  

Resurrected for a second time on Nos. 7001 and 7007, the ‘Castle’ names gave way at Nationalisation to Sir James Milne and Great Western to commemorate the passing of the GWR.  

Finally, the names settled on – Nos. 7032 and 7035 – where they remained until withdrawal in 1964.

Bill Southgate, Weston Underwood,
Derbyshire.

Read more Letters, Opinion, Reviews, News and Features in the April 2019 issue of The RM –on sale now!