GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Leamington Station - GWR Locomotives: gwrls250

GWR 4-6-0 semi-streamlined 'Castle' class No 5005 'Manorbier Castle' standing light engine on the middle road circa 1936. During the mid-thirties the fashion for streamlining locomotives was widespread and in the UK the two major exponents were Gresley and Stanier of the LNER and LMS respectively although to be fair to Stanier he was pushed by the PR department. Whilst Stanier might have not have been convinced by the benefits of streamlining he at least approached the subject scientifically with wind tunnel tests on the Princess Coronation class.

Churchward was said to have been totally against streamlining seeing few benefits only extra costs associated with building and maintaining the engines. Consequently it is reputed that he applied 'bits of plastercine to existing designs resulting in what can only be described as an ugly reincarnation as seen as above. The streamlining was rapidly withdrawn and the locomotives quickly resumed their normal identity. Number 5005 was built at Swindon works to Lot 234 in June 1927 and remained in service until withdrawn from Swindon in February 1960 and scrapped at the works in March 1960.

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