GWR 645 Class

Last updated

GWR 645 Class
Wrexham Croes Newydd Depot geograph-2565549-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg
No. 1532 at Croes Newydd Depot, 1947. This was built as a standard saddle-tank in 1879, and acquired its panniers in 1921
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
Designer George Armstrong
BuilderGWR Wolverhampton Works
Build date1872-1881
Total produced108
Specifications
Configuration:
   Whyte 0-6-0 ST
Gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Driver dia.4 ft 6 in (1.372 m)
see text for variations
Fuel type Coal
Cylinders two
Cylinder size 16 in × 24 in (406 mm × 610 mm)
see text for variations
Career
Operators South Wales Mineral Railway
Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway
Great Western Railway
British Railways
Retired1928-1949
DispositionAll scrapped

The GWR 645 Class was a class of 0-6-0 ST designed by George Armstrong and built at the Wolverhampton railway works of the Great Western Railway (GWR). [1] Thirty-six were constructed between 1872-3, of which three were built for the South Wales Mineral Railway (SWMR), two for the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway (C&CR) and the remainder for the GWR. [2] In essence, they were saddle tank versions of his GWR 633 Class of 1871. [1] From 1878, a further 72 of the class, partially enlarged, were added in the 1501 numbering sequence. Unlike the originals, the "1501"s had full-length saddle tanks from the start.

Contents

Construction

The whole class was delivered in nine lots, as follows:

Three of the un-numbered engines plus No. 767 were sold to the SWMR, and the other two plus No. 655 to the C&CR. The latter three returned to the GWR in 1881, becoming Nos. 902-904.

Dimensions

When built, they had 4 ft 6 in (1.372 m) driving wheels (later 4 ft 7+12 in or 1.410 m due to thicker tyres) and 16 in × 24 in (406 mm × 610 mm), 16+12 in × 24 in (419 mm × 610 mm) or 17 in × 24 in (432 mm × 610 mm) cylinders. Half-cabs were added a few years after construction. From 1918 all but eight of the class were rebuilt with Belpaire fireboxes and larger, pannier tanks extending over the smokebox, and the 17 in (432 mm) diameter cylinders became standard.

Use

Most of the 645s and 1501s were allocated to the Northern Division of the GWR. Between 1910 and 1922 three more of them, Nos. 1806, 1811 and 1546, were transferred to the SWMR, and others too went to South Wales. Most were withdrawn in 1930s. Nos. 1531, 1532, 1538 and 1542 passed briefly into British Railways ownership, but all were withdrawn by December 1949. None have survived into preservation.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GWR 5700 Class</span> Class of 0-6-0 pannier tank steam locomotives

The GWR 5700 Class is a class of 0-6-0 pannier tank 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GWR 6800 Class</span> Class of steam locomotive

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GWR 1361 Class</span>

The 1361 Class were small 0-6-0ST steam locomotives built by the Great Western Railway at their Swindon Works, England, mainly for shunting in docks and other sidings where track curvature was too tight for large locomotives.

Wolverhampton railway works was in the city of Wolverhampton in the county of Staffordshire, England. It was almost due north of the city centre, and is commemorated with a small display of level crossing gates and a plaque. Known as the Stafford Road Works, it was opened by the Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway in 1849 to maintain bought-in locomotives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GWR 4500 Class</span>

The Great Western Railway (GWR) 4500 Class or Small Prairie is a class of 2-6-2T steam locomotives.

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:

The GWR 0-6-0PT, is a type of steam locomotive built by the British Great Western Railway with the water tanks carried on both sides of the boiler, in the manner of panniers. They were used for local, suburban and branch line passenger and goods traffic, for shunting duties, and as banker engines on inclines. The early examples, such as the 1901 and 2021 classes, were rebuilt from saddle or side tanks when the locos received a Belpaire firebox – this type of firebox has a square top and is incompatible with a curved saddle tank. This process mostly took place during the tenure at Swindon Works of George Jackson Churchward. Only a very small number of saddle tank locomotives escaped rebuilding as panniers, notably the 1361 Class built new under Churchward in 1910, by which date a few of the 1813 Class had already been rebuilt as pannier tanks.

George Armstrong was an English railway engineer. He was in charge of standard gauge steam locomotives for the Great Western Railway at Stafford Road Works, Wolverhampton, from 1864 to 1897. He was the younger brother of his colleague Joseph Armstrong, but thanks to the special requirements of the GWR at a time when it was split in two by the broad and standard gauges, the brothers were able to work largely independently of each other. George is best remembered for his 0-4-2 and 0-6-0 tank engines; these were long-lived, and even when life-expired they were replaced by Collett and Hawksworth with remarkably similar locomotives, the well-known 1400, 5700 and 1600 classes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GWR 1901 Class</span> Class of 120 small 0-6-0ST steam locomotives

The GWR 1901 Class was a class of 120 small 0-6-0ST steam locomotives. Numbered 1901–2020, they were designed by George Armstrong and built at the Wolverhampton railway works, England, of the Great Western Railway between 1881 and 1895. They had wheels of 4 ft 0 in (1.219 m) diameter and a coupled wheelbase of 13 ft 8 in (4.17 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GWR 2021 Class</span>

The GWR 2021 Class was a class of 140 0-6-0ST steam locomotives. They were built at the Wolverhampton railway works of the Great Western Railway between 1897 and 1905. 1897 was the very year of George Armstrong's retirement, so it is uncertain if the design should be attributed to him or to his superior at Swindon, William Dean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GWR 517 Class</span> Class of 156 British 0-4-2T locomotives

The 517 Class were small 0-4-2T tank engines designed by George Armstrong for local passenger work on the Great Western Railway. They were built at Wolverhampton Works and were outshopped between 1868 and 1885. They were built in thirteen lots commencing with 517–528 and ending with 1477–1488 in 1884–1885.

The GWR 2721 Class was a class of 0-6-0ST steam locomotives. They were designed by William Dean and built at the Swindon Works of the Great Western Railway between 1897 and 1901.

The Daniel Gooch standard gauge locomotives comprise several classes of locomotives designed by Daniel Gooch, Superintendent of Locomotive Engines for the Great Western Railway (GWR) from 1837 to 1864.

Between 1854 when the Shrewsbury and Chester and Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railways were absorbed by the Great Western Railway, and 1864 when he moved south to Swindon Works, Joseph Armstrong occupied the post of the GWR's Locomotive Superintendent, Northern Division, at Wolverhampton Works. For ten years the task of providing new locomotives for the GWR's newly acquired standard gauge lines fell jointly to Armstrong and to his superior Daniel Gooch, the railway's principal Locomotive Superintendent who was based at Paddington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GWR 455 Class</span>

The GWR 455 Class, also called the "Metropolitan" or "Metro" Tanks, was a series of 140 2-4-0T locomotives built for the Great Western Railway, originally for their London suburban services, including running on the underground section of the Metropolitan Railway, the source of their nickname. Later on the class was seen on many other parts of the GWR system. Sixty "Metro" Tanks were built, from 1868 onwards, during the lifetime of their designer, Joseph Armstrong. His successor William Dean regarded the class so highly that he would add a further 80, the final 20 examples appearing as late as 1899. The "Metros" were all built at Swindon Works, in nine lots of ten or 20 engines each.

The GWR 633 Class were 0-6-0Ts designed by George Armstrong and built at the Wolverhampton railway works of the Great Western Railway between November 1871 and April 1872. These were always Southern Division locomotives, but over the years some were fitted to work the Metropolitan lines and played a large role in the transportation of goods from Acton to Smithfield. Unusually, they had side tanks, and inside frames, with wheels of 4 ft 6+12 in (1,384 mm) in diameter and a wheelbase of 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m). Their weight was 34 long tons 12 cwt. There were twelve locomotives, numbered 633–644.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GWR 655 Class</span>

Class 655 of the Great Western Railway was a class of 52 0-6-0ST locomotives designed by George Armstrong and built at the GWR's Wolverhampton Works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GWR 850 Class</span>

The GWR Class 850 was an extensive class of small 0-6-0ST locomotives designed by George Armstrong and built at the Wolverhampton railway works of the Great Western Railway between 1874 and 1895. Aptly described as the GWR equivalent of the LB&SCR "Terrier" Class of William Stroudley, their wide availability and lively performance gave them long lives, and eventually they were replaced from 1949 by what were in essence very similar locomotives, the short-lived 1600 Class of Frederick Hawksworth, which in the headlong abandonment of steam outlived them by a mere seven years or so.

The 1016 Class consisted of sixty double framed 0-6-0ST locomotives designed by George Armstrong and built at the Wolverhampton Works of the Great Western Railway between 1867 and 1871. Like the earlier 302 Class of Joseph Armstrong, the 1016s had 4 ft 6 in (1.372 m) wheels and a 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m) wheelbase, dimensions that would remain traditional for the larger GWR pannier tanks right through to Charles Collett's 5700 Class, and with little change to Frederick Hawksworth's 9400 Class of 1947.

The Great Western Railway's 1813 Class was a series of 40 0-6-0T built at Swindon Works in two lots of 20 engines each. No. 1813 was sold to the Pembroke & Tenby Railway in May 1883 becoming No.7 Holmwood, retaining this name after being absorbed by the GWR. Nearly all of these engines spent their lives on the GWR's Southern Division.

References

  1. 1 2 Holcroft 1971, p. 36.
  2. le Fleming 1958, pp. E35–E40.

le Fleming, H. M. (April 1958). White, D. E. (ed.). The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway, part five: Six-coupled Tank Engines. RCTS. ISBN   0-901115-35-5. OCLC   500544510.