67005 Queen’s Messenger approaches Ashchurch at speed, hauling the empty stock of the special from Cheltenham to Worcester for servicing (photographer: Jack Boskett)  


3440 City of Truro which provided the motive power for the journey over the GWR. Almost 100 years old than the class 67 she continues to work regularly on the GWR and at other heritage railways. (Photo: Paul Stratford)

One of the most modern diesel locomotives on the national network was in charge of a special train that was carrying over 300 travellers to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway on 17^th October. This was special charter IZ62 from Stevenage to Cheltenham Spa - where travellers transferred to classic buses for a journey on the Honeybourne Line but behind a locomotive almost a century older than the class 67: no. 3440 City of Truro. In fact that was a particularly busy weekend with the Cheltenham Racecourse 'Showcase' event which offered the chance for visitors to take a look behind the scenes at Toddington, as well as at the National Hunt racecourse.

One visitor told this website: "You couldn't have had a greater contrast! The Class 67 is at the cutting edge of diesel traction in the UK and made light and efficient work of our special. Then to find City of Truro, which in its day was at the cutting edge of express passenger locomotive was a real thrill - yet although it's over 100 years old it seemed to make just as light and efficient work of our train on the GWR. We were made very welcome and it was a truly fantastic day!"

Queen's Messenger is one of 30 locomotives built in 1999/2000 for English Welsh & Scottish Railways (now DB Schenker) primarily for mail traffic. They are large, heavy and are designed to run at up to 125mph. Subsequently EWS lost the Royal Mail contract and many of these new locomotives were put in store while others were - and still are - hired to other operators or find themselves handling freight. 67005 and 67006 are finished in 'Royal claret' for handling the Royal Train. The class is also often used for charter work, such as this special from Stevenage. 

67005 and 3440 compared

*102.3 is the alleged speed achieved in May 1904 with a Plymouth-Paddington mail train