Agnes Burton Hall #6998 and King Edward II #6023 are resting side by side at the Didcot railway centre.
#6023 “King Edward II” emerged from Swindon Works in June 1930 and spent all its life until the last year or so allocated to Newton Abbot and Laira (Plymouth). Withdrawn from Cardiff in June 1962, it was returned to Swindon for breaking up. Coupled to its twin 6024 “King Edward I”, from which it had rarely been separated throughout its working life, it was given one last unusual job - to be towed dead over a bridge for weight testing purposes. This miraculously resulted in both engines being dumped in Woodham Bros. yard in Barry instead of being hauled back to Swindon and scrapped. There they remained, coupled together, until 6024 was saved in 1974, leaving 6023, whose wheels had been cut through after a derailment. As their contribution to celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of the GWR's formation in 1985, Messrs Harveys of Bristol bought the hulk and moved it to Temple Meads station. Subsequently they released it to the Society, who brought it to Didcot in 1990. The locomotive was completely rebuilt by the Great Western Society in a major engineering project which has taken over 20 years to complete. The restored locomotive moved under its own power for the first time on 20 January 2011, and entered traffic with an official launch ceremony at Didcot on April 2.
#6998 "Burton Agnes Hall" emerged from Swindon Works in January 1949, going initially to Cardiff's Canton depot. It survived until withdrawal by BR from Oxford in January 1966 after being honoured as the engine chosen to work the Western Region's last steam-hauled passenger train. In markedly better condition than the other survivors, it was selected by the Society to represent the typical two cylinder Great Western tender locomotive, no others at that time being expected to survive. The locomotive was purchased by the Great Western Society in January 1966 for the sum of £2.500 and on 2 April worked light engine under her own steam from Oxford to the Society's Depot at Totnes via Didcot, Reading West, Newbury, Westbury, Taunton, Exeter and Newton Abbot. She remained at Totnes until the end of 1967 when she worked an epic railtour from Totnes to her new home at Didcot on 2 December that year, hauling No. 1466 (also in steam) and Dreadnought No. 1299, all third No. 5952 and auto-trailer No. 231. At Didcot the locomotive has been in virtually continuous service, also with plenty of main line and preserved railways use, ever since. It was was withdrawn from service in 1996 and is stored complete awaiting its turn in the queue for overhaul. Source: Didcot Railway Centre Internet homepage.
