GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Rowington Junction & Troughs: gwrrj2157

Great Western Railway 36xx Class 2-4-2T No 3606 passes over Rowington troughs on an up local suburban working from Birmingham. The locomotive has a class B headcode (single red lamp in front of the chimney) denoting an ordinary stopping passenger train. The date is unknown, but the parsley flowering on the embankment indicates that the month is probably June. Photographer - Henry L Salmon.

The first four coaches are one of the Birmingham Division ‘A sets’. Four of these ‘A sets’ were allocated to Birmingham Division at the end of 1913. All the coaches were seventy foot long, non corridor, toplight design with nine foot American bogies. The end panels of the outer two coaches were branded ‘Birmingham Division’ with the set number below. Details, including the individual running numbers and arrangement of these coaches in each set are given in the table:

The eight composite coaches were completed on 18th October 1913. These were built to diagram E97 under lot 1226. The accommodation comprised five first class and six third class compartments. All were condemned by June 1957. - The eight brake third coaches were completed on 29th November 1913. These were built to diagram D55 under lot 1227. The accommodation comprised eight third class compartments, a guard's compartment and a luggage area. All were condemned by December 1956.

The coaches are painted in crimson lake, which was Great Western Railway's standard coach livery between 1912 and 1922, but at the rear of the train are two additional coaches, the first of which appears to be a clerestory coach painted in the chocolate and cream livery, which was reintroduced at the end of 1922.

The 36xx class only comprised thirty-one locomotives, the prototype (No 11 later No 3600) being introduced in 1900. They were specifically designed for the heavier suburban passenger services and half of the class were employed in the Birmingham Division, until they were superseded on these services by the larger and more powerful 2-6-2T prairie tank designs.

Locomotive No 3606 was built in April 1902 at Swindon Works as part of lot 134. No 3606 was built with a short coned domeless standard No 3 boiler with belpaire firebox (type D D2).2). This was replaced in October 1912 with a more efficient long coned domeless standard No 3 boiler with belpaire firebox (type D 3) and superheater tubes. Originally the boiler pressure was 180lb, which produced a tractive effort at 85% of 17,116lb, but the boiler pressure was later increased to 195lb, which increased the tractive effort at 85% to 18,542lb and classified the locomotive in power group B. The maximum axle weight was 17 tons, 10 cwt which limited the locomotive to main lines and some branch lines (Route colour – Blue).

No3606 had two side water tanks, which together could hold 1,880 gallons. The 36xx class locomotives were originally built with steam operated two way water pick-up gear. The large mushroom vent at the front of the tanks relieved the pressure during the operation. After 1905 the water pick-up gear was modified to hand operation but the gear was gradually removed altogether from 1921. The locomotives were all fitted with Automatic Train Control (ATC) between 1928 and 1931.

No3606 was initially allocated to Leamington shed (LMTN) but was known to be allocated to Slough shed (SLO) in January 1921. No3606 was finally withdrawn from Leamington shed (LMTN) in March 1931.

Robert Ferris

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