GWR

Note: unless otherwise stated, all pictures are the copyright of Paul Egerton.

There is something about the engines of the Great Western Railway and Western Region of British Railways that drew and held my attention. Although I love all steam engines, those manufactured or designed at Swindon have always been my favourite.

I will catalogue each class as I photograph and come across it.

GWR 813 Saddle Tank

Originally built by Hudswell Clarke for the Port Talbot Railway Company, it entered service in 1901 numbered 26.  In 1908, the Great Western Railway agreed to operate the Port Talbot Railway’s trains and maintain their locos.  The GWR took over the Port Talbot Railway completely in 1922 and GWR standard parts were started to be fitted to the engine. Upon being sent to Swindon for overhaul, No 26 returned in 1924 as number 813. However, as a non-standard locomotive, it was withdrawn and put up for sale in 1933.

After 9 months on the GWR sales list, 813 was sold to Robert Stephenson & Company who sold her on to Backworth Collieries Ltd in Northumberland. Backworth renumbered her as 12, and she passed into National Coal Board ownership upon the nationalisation of the coal industry in 1947. In 1950, she received a new boiler from Hudswell Clarke and was renumbered again as NCB 11.  She received a new firebox in 1962, only five years before the National Coal Board withdrew her from service.

The engine arrived into preservation on the Severn Valley Railway on 25 November 1967. Briefly returning to steam in 1976, the engine required further restoration but was able to steam again in 1984 and visited the Didcot Railway Centre as part of the GWR150 celebrations but had to be withdrawn due to further mechanical problems. The loco was then stored out of use until 1996 before undergoing a prolonged overhaul and rebuilding at Bridgnorth. She successfully resteamed in 2000, and has since visited a number of lines throughout the country.

Seen here at Highley on 18 March 2017 when the engine was employed on brake van ride duty during the Severn Valley Railway Spring Gala.

GWR 2900 Class 

The last member of the class, Number 2920 Saint David went to scrap after withdrawal from service in October 1953 so none of the class survived.  To correct this, the Great Western Society have built a new “Saint” utilising one of the last locomotives to be recovered from Barry – 4942 Maindy Hall – thus back converting a Hall (of which there are several in preservation already) to a Saint.

Here are some pictures taken at the launch event on 7 April 2019 put on by the Didcot Railway Centre.

GWR 4575 Class

These were designed as small mixed traffic branch locomotives used mainly on Branch Lines. They were a development of Churchward’s 4500 Class with larger side tanks and increased water capacity. 100 were built numbered 4575–4599 and 5500–5574. A number were fitted with auto apparatus in 1953 to enable them to run push-pull trains on South Wales lines with auto trailers.

They often are referred to as Small Prairie Class tank locomotives.

Seen here is 5526 owned by the South Devon Railway and was on hire to the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway on 1 January 2019.

5700 Class

Built between 1929 and 1950, they were the most prolific class of locomotive to be produced by the Great Western Railway and later, by British Railways Western Region.  Designated as light goods or shunting engines, they could be found right across the GWR.

Pictured is Number 5786 bearing the number L92 and in London Transport livery as of course, some found further use after BR withdrawal.

6000 Class

The 6000 or “King Class” was introduced in 1927 to haul fast express passenger trains  from London Paddington to the West of England and to Birmingham and Wolverhampton.  The survived until 1962 when all were withdrawn due to the mass dieselisation programme.  Three survived:

6000 King George V is currently displayed in the National Railway Museum at York.

6023 King Edward I is operational and normally based at the Great Western Society’s Didcot Railway Centre although it goes out on hire to preserved railways. Not currently mainline certificated as the Great Western Society does not believe that the costs of certification justifies the expected revenue therefore, the engine is to be hired to preserved railways.

6024 King Edward II is currently under restoration at the West Somerset Railway (2020).

6000 King George V seen here on display in the National Railway Museum at York 27 October 2010

6023 seen here at Laverton, Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway and at the Great Western Society, Didcot.

6024 King Edward II seen on approach to Churston, Paignton & Dartmouth Railway 7 August 2011

Modified Hall Class

6960 “Ravingham Hall” was amongst the first of the Modified Halls to emerge from Swindon Works being outshopped in March 1944.  Currently owned by Jeremy Hoskings, the locomotive is currently being operated on the Severn Valley Railway as that line has done a swap with the West Somerset Railway which has seen “Manor Class” No 7802 “Bradley Manor” head in the other direction; this is because of temporary weight limits have been imposed on some of the over-bridges until they have been upgraded during 2019/20.

78XX Manor Class

Designed to be a lighter version of the heavier Grange class, a total of 30 were built (10 under British Railways ownership). Classed as 5MT by British Railways, they had a route classification of Blue.

Pictured above are 7802 Bradley manor, 7812 Earlstoke Manor, 7819 Hinton Manor, 7820 Dinmore Manor and 7822 Foxcote Manor.

Auto-coaches

Often, due to heavier patronage, some services consisted of what became known as the “autocoach sandwich” where the engine was coupled in between two auto-coaches. The Fireman remaining on the engine but the Driver used duplicate controls from the cabs of each coach.

The Severn Valley Railway has a number of excellent, well maintained tank engines of which, 1450 is one.

Taken at Bewdley Station.

In years gone by, 0-4-2 tank engines and autocoaches formed the mainstay of services on lightly used branch lines.