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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 6, Issue 2 (June 1, 1931)
Fastest in the World — Famous Express Locomotive
Fastest in the World
Famous Express Locomotive.
The career of the famous G.W.R. express locomotive City of Truro has ended in a fitting way, for, instead of being scrapped, it has journeyed to York, there to take its place with honoured engines of the past in the Railway Museum (says the London Daily Express).
For trains, the City of Truro set up a speed record of 102.3 miles per hour as far back as May, 1904. This record has never been officially beaten by any steam engine to this day.
Not only were the engine's builders and owners honoured by this record, but valuable traffic was finally secured for the G.W.R. in face of two other competitors.
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The Men Who Supervise Operations In The Department's Workshops.
(Photo, A. P. Godber.)
Mr. A. E. P. Walworth, Works Manager (centre second row from front) and his engineering staff at the Hutt Valley Workshops, Wellington. This group was taken on the eve of Mr. Walworth's transfer to the position of Works Manager, Otahubu; and includes Messrs. W. G. T. Pullin (General Foreman), W. Smith (Foreman Blacksmith), A. P. Godber (Asst. Machine Shop Foreman), and E. N. Campbell (Sub-Foreman) all of whom recently retired on superannuation.
This record run of 225 3/4 miles between Plymouth and London at an average speed, including stops, of 65.49 miles per hour, during the first section of which run to Bristol the City of Truro set up the world's record, established Plymouth as the port of transhipment for the direct New York-to-London mail route.
Another laurel falls to this engine also, for it was the first mechanically driven vehicle to exceed the 100 miles an hour mark.
This old veteran of railway history did not make its last run under its own power, but as part of a goods train. During its twenty-seven years of useful life this engine is estimated to have covered one million miles.