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GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton
GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line
Birmingham Snow Hill - Grouping Period Locomotives:
gwrbsh3051
Great Western Railway 4-6-0 49xx (Hall) class No 4975
Umberslade Hall with a class A headcode standing alone on the up
line at Snow Hill in 1934.
The Great Western Railway Hall class proved to be a most
successful mixed traffic locomotive and the class eventually totalled 330
locomotives built between 1928 and 1950. They had a standard No 1 boiler
operating at 225 lb and developing a tractive effort at 85% of 27,275 lbs
(Power Group D). The maximum axle weight was 18 tons, 19 cwt, which limited the
locomotives to main lines and a few branch lines (Route Classification Red),
but they found both freight and express passenger work in abundance. For more
information about locomotive classification on the Great Western Railway see
'Route Map'. No 4975 was built in
February 1930 at Swindon Works as part of lot 254 and was initially allocated
to Penzance Shed (PZ). The locomotive was allocated to several other West
Country sheds, before being allocated to Old Oak Common Shed (PDN) outside
Paddington in December 1932. The locomotive histories indicate that in early
1934 No 4975 was at Swindon Works for a general overhaul and boiler change, but
then operated from Swindon (SDN) running 89,561 miles before the next boiler
change in December 1935. No 4975 was withdrawn from Oxford Shed (81F) in
September 1963 having travelled 1,298,925 miles and sold for disposal to Messrs
Coopers Ltd at Swindon in December 1963.
Alongside the locomotive is a rake of clerestory coaches.
The running number of the closest one has 74 as the first two digits. It
is believed that this is a fifty-five foot long, mainline general service
composite corridor coach, built to one of the diagrams listed in the table
below:
Lot |
Diagram |
Compartments |
Date Completed |
Quantity |
Original Running Numbers |
910 |
E64/E65 |
4 1st / 2+1 2nd |
April 1899 |
Fifteen |
1421 to 1435 |
918 |
E64/E65 |
4 1st / 2+1 2nd |
September 1899 |
Ten |
1436 to 1445 |
928 |
E68/E69 |
4 1st / 2+1 2nd |
January 1900 |
Ten |
1446 to 1455 |
982 |
E66/E70 |
3 1st / 3+1 2nd |
April 1902 |
Six |
1456 to 1461 |
986 |
E66/E70 |
3 1st / 3+1 2nd |
April 1902 |
Ten |
1462 to 1471 |
987 |
E73 |
3 1st / 4 2nd |
June 1902 |
Ten |
1472 to 1481 |
994 |
E73 |
3 1st / 4 2nd |
September 1902 |
Four |
1482 to 1485 |
1008 |
E73 |
3 1st / 4 2nd |
January 1903 |
One |
1486 |
1030 |
E73 |
3 1st / 4 2nd |
September 1903 |
Six |
1487 to 1492 |
1040 |
E73 |
3 1st / 4 2nd |
December 1903 |
Twelve |
1493 to 1504 |
1049 |
E73 |
3 1st / 4 2nd |
March 1904 |
Five |
1505 to 1509 |
a. The twenty five diagram E64/E65 and ten diagram E68/E69
coaches were each built with; four first class compartments, two second class
compartments and four toilets. The toilets were identically sized, but one pair
was allocated to each class and one of each pair designated for ladies
only. The two ladies only toilets were adjacent to each
other, positioned towards the centre of the coach. This extravagance was later
discontinued and around 1910 these two adjacent toilets were converted to
provide an additional second class compartment, while leaving a toilet at each
end of the coach. The final arrangement was four first class compartments,
three second class compartments and two toilets.
b. The sixteen diagram
E66/E70 coaches were built with; three first class compartments, three second
class compartments and four toilets similarly arranged as above. These were
also modified around 1910 to create an additional second class compartment from
the two ladies only toilets. The final arrangement was three first
class compartments, four second class compartments and two toilets.
c.
The thirty-six diagram E73 coaches were built with three first class
compartments, four second class compartments and a toilet at each end. The
diagram E73s toilets were 3¼ inches larger than those in previous
diagrams.
In 1907 the Great Western Railway introduced a new numbering
scheme for their coach stock to indicate the type of coach:
- Third class coaches retained their existing
numbers
- Second class coaches had 5000 added to their
number
- Composite coaches had 6000 added to their number
- First class coaches had 8000 added to their
number
- Saloons were renumbered in the 90xx, 91xx, 92xx and
93xx series
- Sleeper coaches were renumbered in the 90xx series
Dinning coaches were renumbered in the 95xx series
During 1910 the Great Western Railway abolished 2nd class
accommodation and all existing 2nd class compartments were re-designated as 3rd
class compartments.
This photograph is displayed courtesy of the HMRS
(Historical Model Railway Society) and copies can be ordered directly from them
using the link HERE, quoting 'AEV430'.
Robert Ferris
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