70028 Royal Star - frequent visitor to BTM

[Ian L Jamieson]

At around 2.00pm in the late 1950s a service left Temple Meads bound for Cardiff. If a Britannia was used, as it often was, it was nearly always 70028 Royal Star - and I do not recall ever having seen any of the other Canton Brits on this working. I think that the loco would have worked in from Cardiff the same morning.

The thing is, was Royal Star used because it was deficient in some respect and not suitable for some of the longer workings? It just seemed strange that it was always that same loco from a stud of fifteen possibles.

Conversely, when I was at Patchway, I saw the other fourteen with monotonous regularity - but never 70028, as I recall.

Anyone know the likely reason?