Certainly not a stranger to the Cambrian GWR 43xx class 2-6-0 No 5399 was recorded on innumerable occasions working west of Ruabon, down and across to Barmouth. On the outset of Nationalisation in 1947 and except for a brief spell at Banbury in 1952, she spent the majority of her working life working out of either Chester West or Croes Newydd. In April 1960, when Chester West was closed to steam, she was allocated to Chester Midland briefly for three weeks before finding her way to Croes Newydd, where she would see out her time before being withdrawn in September 1962.
In this undated shot, but thought to be summer 1961, when she was carrying the 89B Croes Newydd shed code, she pauses at Oswestry with a down stopper. The white boiler-suited engineman would suggest one of the crew was under instruction.


Photo: Rail Archive Stephenson