 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(December 2014) |
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The Great Western Railway (GWR) GWR 5100 Class (known as the 3100 class between 1912 and 1927) was a class of 2-6-2T side tank steam locomotives. It was the first of a series of broadly similar classes used principally for suburban passenger services.
The class was developed from one of George Jackson Churchward's pioneer designs – No 99 – and a number of derivative classes were built from 1906 to 1950. The development is somewhat convoluted to follow, because of various renumberings and gaps in the number series as listed below. [1]
No. 99 was built in 1903 and given an extended trial over the ensuing two years. Fitted with the standard number 2 boiler running at 200 psi (1.38 MPa), flat topped tanks and driving wheels of 5 feet 8 inches (1.727 m) in diameter, it was the forerunner of 289 similar locomotives that were to follow. 39 more examples were built to this initial design. This production batch differed from the prototype only in that the tank tops were sloping to aid visibility and the cab sides were incorporated into the tanks. The running numbers of this batch were 3111 to 3149 and the prototype was renumbered 3100 in 1912. They received enlarged coal bunkers. In 1927, after some improvements to weight distribution, the class was renumbered 5100 and 5111 to 5149.
None of the 5100 class have been preserved.
| Year | Quantity | Lot No. | Works No. | Locomotive numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 1 | 140 | 1992 | 99 | renumbered 3100 in 1912 |
| 1905 | 10 | 150 | 2066–2075 | 3111–3120 | |
| 1905 | 10 | 152 | 2085–2095 | 3121–3131 | |
| 1906 | 19 | 159 | 2138–2156 | 3131–3149 |
Source: [1]
The 3150 Class was a 1906 version of the 3100, fitted with the larger and heavier Standard 4 boiler. They were numbered from 3150 to 3190.
The 5101 Class were fundamentally Collett versions of the 5100 class, built from 1929 to 1949 with the Standard 2 boiler. They were numbered 5101–5110, 5150–5199 and 4100–4179.
The 1931 6100 Class were more powerful versions of the 5101, fitted with a version of the Standard 2 boiler with higher working pressure, giving the locomotives greater tractive effort. They were numbered 6100–6169.
The Collett 3100 Class were members of the 3150 class, rebuilt in 1938/39 with smaller driving wheels. They retained the larger Standard 4 boiler from the 3150s and were numbered 3100–3104.
The 8100 Class (see below) were members of the 5100 class rebuilt in 1938/39 with smaller driving wheels and the same higher pressure version of the Standard 2 boiler as the 6100 class. They were numbered 8100–8109.
In 1938/39 ten members of the 5100 series were rebuilt with 5 feet 6 inches (1.676 m) driving wheels and 3-foot pony truck wheels. They retained the number 2 boiler, but again pressed to 225 psi as in the 6100. Numbers 5100 (the original 1903 prototype number 99 now being renumbered for the third time), 5123, 5118, 5145, 5124, 5126, 5120, 5116, 5133 and 5115, were renumbered 8100 to 8109. This 8100 class were intended to bolster the 6100 class on London suburban duties, with the smaller driving wheels giving a supposed benefit of better acceleration. [1] Whatever the practical advantage in performance, the class became widely dispersed and locos were used alongside their predecessors indiscriminately.
None of the 8100 class have been preserved.
The 2-6-2 wheel arrangement is nicknamed "Prairie". The Churchward 3100/5100, 3150, 5101, Collett 3100, 6100 and 8100 classes are collectively nicknamed "Large Prairies" while the smaller 4400, 4500 and 4575 classes are known as "Small Prairies".
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 3800 Class, also known as the County Class, were a class of 4-4-0 steam locomotives for express passenger train work introduced in 1904 in a batch of ten. Two more batches followed in 1906 and 1912 with minor differences. They were designed by George Jackson Churchward, who used standard components to produce a four-coupled version of his Saint Class 4-6-0s.
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 5101 Class or 'Large Prairie' is a class of 2-6-2T steam locomotives of the Great Western Railway.
The Great Western Railway (GWR) 6800 Class or Grange Class was a mixed-traffic class of 4-6-0 steam locomotive, built to replace the GWR 4300 Class 2-6-0. There were 80 in the class, all built at the Swindon works, using some reconditioned parts from withdrawn 4300 Class locomotives.
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 GWR 5600 Class is a class of 0-6-2T steam locomotive built between 1924 and 1928. They were designed by Charles Collett for the Great Western Railway (GWR), and were introduced into traffic in 1924. After the 1923 grouping, Swindon inherited a large and variable collection of locomotives from historic Welsh railway companies, which did not fit into their standardisation programme. GWR boiler inspectors arrived en masse and either condemned the original locomotives or had them rebuilt. The systematic destruction of many examples of locomotives, most still in serviceable condition, followed, but various were worked alongside 5600 Class.
The Great Western Railway (GWR) 2221 Class or County Tank was a class of 4-4-2T steam locomotive, effectively a tank engine version of the 3800 "County" Class 4-4-0 tender locomotives. The two classes had different boilers, standard no 4 for the tender locomotive, and the smaller standard no 2 for the tank. 2230 was fitted with the larger boiler when new, but this was unsuccessful and was quickly altered.
The Great Western Railway (GWR) 4500 Class or Small Prairie is a class of 2-6-2T steam locomotives.
The GWR 6100 Class is a class of 2-6-2T side tank steam locomotives.
Charles Benjamin Collett was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Great Western Railway from 1922 to 1941. He designed the GWR's 4-6-0 Castle and King Class express passenger locomotives.
The Great Western Railway (GWR) 3100 Class was a class of 2-6-2T side tank steam locomotive.
The Great Western Railway (GWR) 3150 Class was a class of 2-6-2T side tank steam locomotive.
The Great Western Railway (GWR) 4400 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.
The Great Western Railway (GWR) 3600 Class was a class of 2-4-2T side tank steam locomotive, designed by William Dean and built at Swindon in three lots in 1900-1903:
GWR 6800 Class No. 6880 Betton Grangeis a steam locomotive built between 1998 and 2024 as a "new-build" project, originally based on the Llangollen Railway in Denbighshire, Wales, then subsequently at Tyseley Locomotive Works. Described as "building the 81st Grange", the project started in 1998, and the locomotive was earlier expected to be operational by 2013, but subsequently by Autumn 2021, which was then pushed back to 2024. It was expected to be launched under steam in a private member event in January 2024 but was postponed a week before the event. On 11 April 2024, 6880 was steamed up for the first time after more than 25 years of work. All of the original GWR 6800 Class Grange locomotives were withdrawn for scrap by the end of 1965; this project is a creation, from an assemblage of original GWR and newly manufactured components, of a member of this class.
La France, number 102, was a locomotive of the Great Western Railway. It was bought by G.J. Churchward to evaluate French locomotive practice, and particularly the effect of compounding.
The Great Western Railway (GWR) 3901 Class is a class of 2-6-2T steam locomotives rebuilt from class 2301 'Dean Goods' 0-6-0 tender locomotives.