GWR 3700 Class no. 3440 "City of Truro"
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 City of Truro approaching Cheltenham Racecourse on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway |
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| Power type | Steam |
|---|---|
| Builder | GWR Swindon Works |
| Build date | 1903 |
| Configuration | 4-4-0 |
| Gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) |
| Career | Great Western Railway |
| Class | 3700, City Class |
| Number | 3440, renum 3717 in 1912 |
| Official name | City of Truro |
| Retired | 1961 |
| Restored | 1984 |
| Current owner | National Railway Museum |
Great Western Railway (GWR) City Class 4-4-0 locomotive number 3440 City Of Truro was designed by George Jackson Churchward and built at the GWR Swindon Works in 1903. (It was renumbered 3717 in 1912). It was reputedly the first steam locomotive in Europe to travel in excess of 100 mph (160 km/h).
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[edit] Speed record
City of Truro is believed to have reached a speed of 102.3 mph (164 km/h) whilst hauling the "Ocean Mails" special from Plymouth to London Paddington on 9 May 1904. This speed was recorded from the footplate by Charles Rous-Marten, a writer employed by The Railway Magazine, but the journal did not publish the exact figure until 1907. Initially, mindful of the need to preserve their reputation for safety, the railway company allowed only the overall timings for the run to be put into print. For the record to have been proven conclusively, the presence of two timekeepers was needed, which did not happen in this case. However, the milepost timings provided by Rous-Marten are consistent with a speed of 100 mph or just over.
[edit] Preservation
The historical significance of City of Truro led to its survival after withdrawal from service in 1931. It was purchased by the London and North Eastern Railway and was subsequently displayed at a new museum in York. In 1957 it was returned to service by British Railways; based at Didcot, it was used both for hauling special excursion trains and for normal revenue services, usually on the Newbury and Southampton branch line, and was renumbered back to 3440.
It was finally retired from traffic in 1961, and passed into the National Collection based at the National Railway Museum in York as a static exhibit. It was restored once more in 1984 to take part in the 150th anniversary celebrations of the Great Western Railway. It was recently restored to full working order at a cost of £130,000 to mark the 100th anniversary of its record-breaking run, and has subsequently visited several UK heritage railways.
[edit] In literature
City of Truro featured as a character in the book Duck and the Diesel Engine, part of The Railway Series by the Rev. W. Awdry. The loco has also appeared in the television spin-off Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, and was released as a diecast model in the Ertl range.
[edit] Image gallery
 Operating on loan to the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway |
[edit] See also
No. 999, the record holder in the United States
[edit] References
- Allen, Cecil J. (1949). Locomotive Practice and Performance in the Twentieth Century. Cambridge: W Heffer and Sons.
- Tuplin, W.A. (1956). Great Western Steam. George Allen and Unwin.
- Tuplin, W.A. (1965). Great Western Saints and Sinners. George Allen and Unwin.
