Didcot Railway Centre has been celebrating the 100th birthday of a locomotive which returned to the tracks after a 20 year restoration project.

Constructed at Swindon Works in 1924, No 4079 Pendennis Castle outperformed larger locomotives during her exchange trials with the London and North Eastern Railway.

After 40 years of express passenger services, Pendennis Castle was to be scrapped in 1964 until book publisher Mike Higson stepped in and bought the locomotive, having her overhauled at Swindon.

This is Oxfordshire: Vicky Paton, the daughter of Mike Higson Vicky Paton, the daughter of Mike Higson (Image: Didcot Railway Centre)

She changed hands again, being sold to John Gretton and William McAlpine, and a decade later, she was sold to Hamersley Iron in Australia, one of the country's largest iron ore producers.

In May 1977, the locomotive set off for her new adventures in Australia and remained there until 1994, under the care of the Pilbara Railways Historical Society.

After being stored and out of use, the decision was made that the best future for No 4079 Pendennis Castle was to return to the UK, and she was offered to the Great Western Society at the start of 2000, to be restored at Didcot Railway Centre.

This is Oxfordshire: Sarah Jermyn events co-ordinator at the centre with Drew Fermor, project manager for the locomotive’s restorationSarah Jermyn events co-ordinator at the centre with Drew Fermor, project manager for the locomotive’s restoration (Image: Didcot Railway Centre)

The Society was able to raise £80,000 for her voyage back home and Pendennis Castle arrived in Avonmouth on July 8, 2000.

Restoration at the Didcot Railway Centre was a more than 20-year process, concluding with No 4079 returning to service on April 2, 2022.

Since then, Pendennis Castle has regularly performed at Didcot and visited other heritage railways within the UK.