GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line

Birmingham Snow Hill Station: gwrbsh1794

A double headed class ‘K’ local freight passes through Snow Hill Station on the Down Main Line in the 1920s. Great Western Railway 43xx class 2-6-0 No 4358 leads an unidentified double framed 0-6-0PT pannier tank of the 1076 (Buffalo) class. Most of the 266 locomotives of the Buffalo class started life originally as saddle tank locomotives built between 1872 and 1881. With a few exceptions the whole class was rebuilt between 1911 and 1928 with large domed belpaire boilers and pannier tanks (1,000 gallon capacity). The boiler operated at 165 lb providing a tractive effort at 85% of 17,525 lbs and classifying the locomotive in Power group A. The maximum axle weight was 15 tons, 8 cwt, which allowed the locomotive to operate over almost all lines (route colour – Yellow).

Locomotive No 4358 was built in April 1914 at Swindon Works as part of lot 198. The average cost of the locomotives in this lot was £2,296 each. The 43xx class locomotives were fitted with a standard No 4 boiler with a pressure of 200 lb and a 14 tube / 84 element superheater. This gave a tractive effort at 85% of 25,670 lbs and the locomotives were classified in Power group D. As built the 43xx class locomotives had a maximum axle weight of 18 tons, 4 cwt (17 tons empty) restricting them to main lines (route colour - Red), but after 1917 they were modified by moving the fulcrum point of the leading bogie forward, which reduced the maximum axle weight to 17 tons, 13 cwt (16 tons, 8 cwt empty) allowing them to also operate over some branch lines (route colour – Blue). Modified locomotives bore a red ‘K’ below the number plate until the modification had been applied to the whole class. The 43xx class proved to be an excellent mixed traffic locomotive and eventually 342 locomotives were built. In 1934, No 4358 was known to have been paired with Churchward 3,500 gallons tender No 2355 from lot A110 built in 1922. This tender could hold seven tons of coal. No 4358 had outside steam pipes fitted in January 1944.

No 4358 was originally allocated to Laira shed (LA) in Plymouth, but in January 1921 and May 1922 was known to have been allocated at Southall shed (PADD). No 4358 was allocated to Oxley (OXY) between 1924 and 1926 was also known to have been allocated there in January 1934. In January 1938, the locomotive was known to have been allocated at Neyland shed (NEY) and was also allocated there prior to nationalisation in December 1947. In March 1950, No 4358 was known to have been allocated at Horton Road shed (85B) in Gloucester, from where the locomotive was withdrawn in the week ending 8th August 1959. At withdrawal the total mileage of the locomotive was 1,406,215 miles. No 4358 was sold to John Cashmore Ltd of Newport in the week ending 27th November 1959 and cut up in December of that year.

Behind the 43xx class locomotive on the Up main through line is bogie well trolley wagon No 153215, which appears to be fitted with trestles for carrying steel plate. This wagon is not from Great Western Railway stock and is possibly of LNER (ex NER) origin.

Robert Ferris

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