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| GWR 2884 Class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 3800 at Swindon Works in 1962 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Great Western Railway (GWR) 2884 Class is a class of 2-8-0 steam locomotive. They were Collett's development of Churchward's earlier 2800 Class and are sometimes regarded as belonging to that class. [1]
The 2884s were designed for heavy freight work and differed from the original Class 2800 engines (Nos. 2800-2883) in a number of respects, the most obvious being that a more modern Collett side window cab was provided and that they were built with outside steam pipes. [2]
83 of the 2884 class were built between 1938 and 1941. Those built during the Second World War did not have the side window to the cab, and the side window on the others was plated over. This was to reduce glare, as a precaution against enemy air attacks. [3] The windows were reinstated after the war.[ citation needed ]
| Year | Quantity | Lot No. | Locomotive numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938–39 | 20 | 321 | 2884–2899, 3800–3803 | |
| 1939–40 | 20 | 328 | 3804–3823 | |
| 1940–41 | 10 | 334 | 3824–3833 | |
| 1941–42 | 10 | 341 | 3834–3843 | |
| 1942 | 23 | 346 | 3844–3866 |
The locomotives were so popular with the ex-Great Western crews that the British Railways Western Region operating authorities wanted more of the class built after nationalisation in 1948; however, this request was turned down[ by whom? ] in favour of BR Standard Class 9Fs.[ citation needed ]
Between 1945 and 1947, coal shortages caused GWR to experiment with oil fired 2800 locomotives. Eight of the 2884 class were converted and renumbered from 4850. The experiment, encouraged by the government[ which? ] was abandoned in 1948 once the extra maintenance costs were calculated and the bill had arrived for the imported oil.
The year 1948 also saw one of the 2884 class, No.3803 (now preserved), emerge remarkably successfully from the 1948 Locomotive Exchange Trials against more modern engines including the LMS 8F and the WD Austerity 2-8-0 and WD Austerity 2-10-0. It took the appearance in 1954 of the British Railways BR standard class 9F 2-10-0 to displace the 2800s from their main role of mineral haulage. Nevertheless, there was still work for them right up to the end of steam on the Western region in 1965. Six decades of service testify to the fundamental excellence of Churchward's original conception.
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| Year | Quantity in service at start of year | Quantity withdrawn | Cumulative quantity withdrawn | Locomotive numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 83 | 1 | 1 | 3827. |
| 1963 | 82 | 16 | 17 | 2888–89/92/94/97–98, 3803/06/11/31/33/39/43/46/53/58. |
| 1964 | 65 | 32 | 49 | 2884–87/91/93/96, 3800–01/04–05/09–10/14–15/19/21–22/24–25/28–29/32/34/38/41/45/47/52/56–57/60. |
| 1965 | 32 | 34 | 83 | 2890/95/99, 3802/07–08/12–13/16–18/20/23/26/30/35–37/40/42/44/48–51/54–55/59/61–66. |
Nine examples of the 2884, were saved from Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales and four of these engines have operated in preservation.
| Number | Year Built | Withdrawn | Location | Status | Image | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2885 | Mar 1938 | Jan 1964 | Tyseley Locomotive Works | Undergoing restoration[ as of? ] |  | Formerly on display at Birmingham Moor Street.[ until when? ] |
| 3802 | Dec 1938 | Aug 1965 | Llangollen Railway | Operational, boiler ticket expires: 2027. |  | Currently[ when? ] paired with a 4,000 gallon Collett tender instead of the usual 3,500 gallon Churchward tender. Returned to service following an overhaul in January 2018 and now[ when? ] operational at Llangollen. |
| 3803 | Jan 1939 | Jul 1963 | Dartmouth Steam Railway | Stored |  | Previously based at the South Devon Railway,[ until when? ] but now[ when? ] sold to the Dartmouth Steam Railway. [5] |
| 3814 | Mar 1940 | Dec 1964 | Northern Steam Engineering Limited, Stockton-on-Tees | Undergoing restoration |  | Currently under restoration to running condition.[ as of? ] Moved to Llangollen Railway[ when? ] for restoration to continue, but subsequently moved to Northern Steam Engineering Limited at Stockton-on-Tees. [6] [ when? ] |
| 3822 | Apr 1940 | Jan 1964 | Didcot Railway Centre | Static display[ as of? ] |  | Awaiting overhaul after being withdrawn from traffic in 2010. In 1989, 3822 was used in the Music video of the song Breakthru by the band Queen. [7] [8] |
| 3845 | Apr 1942 | Jun 1964 | TBC | Stored | At a private site in the West Midlands awaiting restoration. | |
| 3850 | Jun 1942 | Aug 1965 | Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway | Undergoing overhaul[ as of? ] |  | Originally restored at and operated at the West Somerset Railway, now moved to Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway for 10-year overhaul. |
| 3855 | Oct 1942 | Aug 1965 | East Lancashire Railway | Undergoing restoration[ as of? ] | Being restored from ex Barry Scrapyard condition. | |
| 3862 | Nov 1942 | Feb 1965 | Northampton & Lamport Railway | Undergoing restoration[ as of? ] | Being restored from ex Barry Scrapyard condition to full running condition. | |
Hornby Railways manufacture a model of the 2884 Class in OO gauge.[ citation needed ]
In 2013, Dapol introduced a British N gauge model of locomotive 2892 in GWR green livery. [9]
The first Locomotives of the Great Western Railway (GWR) were specified by Isambard Kingdom Brunel but Daniel Gooch was soon appointed as the railway's Locomotive Superintendent. He designed several different 7 ft 1⁄4 in broad gauge types for the growing railway, such as the Firefly and later Iron Duke Class 2-2-2s. In 1864 Gooch was succeeded by Joseph Armstrong who brought his standard gauge experience to the workshops at Swindon. To replace some of the earlier locomotives, he put broad gauge wheels on his standard gauge locomotives and from this time on all locomotives were given numbers, including the broad gauge ones that had previously carried just names.
The Great Western Railway 2900 Class or Saint Class, which was built by the Great Western Railway's Swindon Works, incorporated several series of 2-cylinder passenger steam locomotives designed by George Jackson Churchward and built between 1902 and 1913 with differences in the dimensions. The majority of these were built as 4-6-0 locomotives; but thirteen examples were built as 4-4-2. They proved to be a highly successful class which established the design principles for GWR 2-cylinder classes over the next fifty years, and influenced similar classes on other British railways.
The Great Western Railway (GWR) 4200 Class is a class of 2-8-0T steam locomotives.
The GWR 5700 Class is a class of 0-6-0PT steam locomotive built by the Great Western Railway (GWR) and British Railways (BR) between 1929 and 1950. With 863 built, they were the most prolific class of the GWR, and one of the most numerous classes of British steam locomotive.
The GWR 5101 Class or 'Large Prairie' is a class of 2-6-2T steam locomotives of the Great Western Railway.
The Great Western Railway (GWR) 6959 or Modified Hall Class is a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotive. They were a development by Frederick Hawksworth of Charles Collett's earlier Hall Class named after English and Welsh country houses.
The Great Western Railway (GWR) 2251 Class or Collett Goods Class was a class of 0-6-0 steam tender locomotives designed for medium-powered freight. They were introduced in 1930 as a replacement for the earlier Dean Goods 0-6-0s and were built up to 1948.
The GWR 1400 Class is a class of steam locomotive designed by the Great Western Railway for branch line passenger work. It was originally classified as the 4800 Class when introduced in 1932, and renumbered in 1946.
The Great Western Railway (GWR) 2800 Class is a class of Churchward-designed 2-8-0 steam locomotive.
The Great Western Railway 1000 Class or County Class was a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotive. Thirty examples were built between 1945 and 1947, but all were withdrawn and scrapped in the early 1960s. A replica locomotive is under construction.
The Great Western Railway (GWR) 7200 Class is a class of 2-8-2T steam locomotive. They were the only 2-8-2Ts built and used by a British railway, and the largest tank engines to run on the Great Western Railway.
The Great Western Railway (GWR) 4300 Class is a class of 2-6-0 (mogul) steam locomotives, designed by G.J. Churchward for mixed traffic duties. 342 were built from 1911–1932.
The Great Western Railway (GWR) 4575 Class is a class of 2-6-2T British steam locomotives.
The Great Western Railway (GWR) 2301 Class or Dean Goods Class is a class of British 0-6-0 steam locomotives.
The GWR 6100 Class is a class of 2-6-2T side tank steam locomotives.
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The Great Western Railway (GWR) 3150 Class was a class of 2-6-2T side tank steam locomotive.
The Great Western Railway (GWR) 4700 Class was a class of nine 2-8-0 steam locomotives, designed by George Jackson Churchward. They were introduced in 1919 for heavy mixed-traffic work. Although primarily designed for fast freight, the class also sometimes hauled passenger trains, notably heavy holiday expresses in the summer months. They were unofficially nicknamed "Night Owls" because they were primarily designed to haul goods during the night and they could be seen simmering in the daylight, awaiting their nocturnal duties.
GWR 2800 Class No. 2807 is one of the surviving members of the Great Western Railway's 2800 Class of 2-8-0 steam locomotives, also known as the 28XX class.
The Great Western Railway (GWR) experimented with oil burning steam locomotives at two points in its history. A single experimental tank engine was constructed to burn oil in 1902, and 37 engines of four different classes were converted to burn oil between 1946 and 1950. Neither experiment resulted in the long-term use of oil as fuel for steam locomotives. A single pannier tank locomotive was also converted under British Rail in 1958.
