Hornby R1077

Great Western Railway 4073 Class 4082 "Windsor Castle" Great Western Railway (Lined Green)

Class & Prototype

Class: Great Western Railway 4073 Class

Traction: Steam
Built: 1923-1950
Total Built: 171

The GWR 4073 Castle Class represents the pinnacle of Great Western Railway express passenger design, introduced by Charles Collett in 1923. These legendary 4-6-0 locomotives famously outperformed LNER Pacifics in the 1925 exchange trials, proving their superior fuel economy and performance. With 171 built between 1923-1950, they handled premier services like the "Cornish Riviera Express" for over four decades. Eight survive in preservation, with excellent model representations available from Hornby, Graham Farish, and specialist manufacturers. Essential for any authentic GWR layout.

Prototype: 4082

Ordered By: Great Western Railway
Built By: Great Western Railway
Built At: Swindon
Built: 04/1924
Withdrawn: 09/1964
Length of Service: 40.4 years
Running Numbers: GWR 4082
Names: Windsor Castle

GWR No. 4082 Windsor Castle was built at Swindon Works in April 1924 as part of the first batch of Castle Class locomotives (Lot 224). This locomotive achieved legendary status when King George V drove it from Swindon Works to Swindon station on 28th April 1924, with Queen Mary also on the footplate alongside senior GWR officials. Commemorative plaques were fitted to mark this royal occasion, making 4082 the designated "royal locomotive" thereafter. Windsor Castle hauled King George V's funeral train in January 1936, cementing its royal connections. However, when King George VI died in February 1952, 4082 was undergoing repairs at Swindon Works. To maintain royal protocol, locomotive No. 7013 Bristol Castle had its identity completely swapped with 4082, taking its number, nameplates, and royal role. After the funeral, the locomotives retained their exchanged identities permanently, though the commemorative plaques returned to the original engine. The original 4082 (now as 7013) was withdrawn in September 1964, whilst the locomotive that became 4082 (originally 7013) lasted until February 1965.

This locomotive represents the pinnacle of GWR public relations success and royal railway heritage, demonstrating how locomotive naming and royal associations could create lasting historical significance.

Operator & Livery

Operator: Great Western Railway

The Great Western Railway (1835-1947) was Britain's most innovative railway company, engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel with his revolutionary 7ft ¼in broad gauge system. Known affectionately as "God's Wonderful Railway" and the "Holiday Line," the GWR connected London Paddington with the West Country, Wales, and Birmingham through 3,800 miles of superbly engineered routes.

Renowned for its Brunswick green locomotives, chocolate and cream carriages, and engineering excellence centred at Swindon Works, the GWR pioneered advanced steam technology under chief mechanical engineers Daniel Gooch, George Jackson Churchward, and Charles Collett. The company's legendary locomotive classes—including Castle, King, Hall, and Manor—established performance standards that influenced British locomotive design for decades.

The only "Big Four" railway to retain its original identity through the 1921 grouping, the GWR maintained its distinctive corporate culture until nationalisation in 1947. Today, the company's engineering legacy lives on through extensive preservation efforts, heritage railways, and detailed model railway recreations that celebrate the finest traditions of British steam railway operation.