GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Acocks Green & South Yardley Station: gwrag2451

Ex-GWR 2-6-2T 61xx Class No 6144 restarts from the down loop line with empty local carriage stock stock in July 1961. Built by Swindon works to Lot 278 in November 1932, No 6144 was to remain in service until June 1964 when it was withdrawn from 86J Aberdare shed to be scrapped by Birds of Morriston. Introduced in 1931 the class were a straightforward development of the earlier 5101 class with a lineage that could be traced back to the 1905 31xx class. As the only real difference between the 61xx Class and the 5101 Class was an increased boiler pressure of 225 psi, it was difficult to distinguish them from their ancestors. There were seventy members of the class which were built in two batches; between 1931 and 1933, and 1935. The class was specifically built for commuter services in the London area where they replaced the ageing 2221 class on these services. They lasted to the end of steam on the Western Region of British Railways in 1965, never straying far from their home turf. Typical duties were Paddington to Aylesbury via High Wycombe, and from the same terminus to Oxford, Windsor, Reading and Basingstoke. They were mainly allocated to Old Oak Common, Southall, Slough, Reading and Aylesbury throughout their lives. In the early 1960s, the advent of the first generation diesel multiple units made them semi-redundant though generally far from worn out.

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