Great Western locomotives worked regularly into Leicester Great Central but they rarely penetrated further north. Here No.6998 Burton Agnes Hall heads through Arkwright Street station on its way back from Nottingham Victoria light engine to Banbury after working the 1N63 Bournemouth - Bradford on 11th July 1964 as far as Nottingham.
Happily now restored and preserved at Didcot thanks to the Great Western Society , 6998 had the distinction of working the last Western Region scheduled passenger steam duty on 3rd. January of 1966 when it took the 10.25.a.m. Poole to York express from Oxford to Banbury before returning light engine to Oxford from where it was withdrawn and subsequently saved in April of that same year , 1966 .
In late 1965 the Society had a choice of three of the remaining " Halls " left in service to select for preservation , with " Burton Agnes Hall " being regarded as being in better condition than 6923 " Croxteth Hall " and 6959 " Peatling Hall " and so the vote was given in favour of 6998 , the engine being initially despatched down to Totnes in Devon on 2nd. April 1966 for temporary storage until its eventual move to Didcot on 2nd . December the following year