Cardiff Canton's 70026 " Polar Star " seen here on one of the Swindon Works turntable roads was sadly the unfortunate engine which derailed at Milton near Didcot on Sunday the 20th. November 1955 with the loss of eleven lives whilst working an excursion from Wales to London, running via Gloucester .
As a result 70026 had its smoke deflctor handrails removed and hand holes cut into the deflectors as seen here, so this image must date from after 1955 .
Canton lost 70026 to the Midland Region's Aston Depot in September1961 with the wholesale transfer of all the class to the Midland Region at or about that time, and it ended its days at Stockport in January1967.