GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line

Birmingham Snow Hill - Pre-grouping locomotives: gwrbsh1197

GWR 2-2-2 'Gooch Single' No 74 is seen standing on the up middle through road at the South end of Snow Hill station on 5th May 1894. Robert Ferris writes, 'No 74 was built in April 1856, one of eight engines built by Beyer, Peacock & Co. in 1855-56. The acquisition of the Shrewsbury Railways in 1854 had made it necessary for standard gauge locomotives to be constructed by the Great Western Railway, but with limited capacity at Swindon, the construction of these passenger engines was contracted out (although the design and specifications was done in-house). By the early 1870's all eight engines were renewed at the GWR's Wolverhampton works and this involved a total rebuild with probably only the original frames retained (note for example that although the wheel arrangement was maintained, the renewed engine's wheel centres were apparently different).'

The renewed No 74 left the Wolverhampton works in September 1872 (with Works No 204) and proceeded to work predominately between Paddington and South Wales. In June 1888 No 74 was reboilered at Swindon and also received a cab and closed wheel splashers. The photograph shows No 74 after this 1888 modification, when the engine was based at Gloucester. Within ten years express passenger train loads had dramatically increased and the 2-2-2 wheel arrangement was now considered insufficient to handle these duties. Therefore in March 1897 No 74 was converted into a 2-4-0 'River class engine. Originally it had been intended to name No 74 'Thames', but this name was too long for the space on the splasher and the slightly shorter name 'Stour' was substituted.

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