GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line

Birmingham Snow Hill - British Railways Period Locomotives: gwrbsh1821

Ex-GWR Grange Class 4-6-0 No 6879 'Overton Grange' departs Snow Hill with an up express on 20th September 1963. Built by Swindon works in May 1939 to Lot 308, No 6879 was to remain in service until October 1965 when it was withdrawn from 2A Tyseley shed. The 68xx class or Grange class were designed for mixed traffic class with eighty in total being built at the Swindon works. The eighty locomotives of the 68xx class 4-6-0 used parts of the 43xx class 2-6-0 class to effectively create a smaller-wheeled version of the GWR's Hall Class. They were reliable performers and their power and mixed traffic characteristics meant they could handle most duties on the GWR's network. The class were often used for the haulage of perishable goods, such as fruit and broccoli, and for excursion trains.

back