GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line

Birmingham Snow Hill - Pre-grouping locomotives: gwrbsh54

GWR 4-4-2 No 104 Alliance, a French designed locomotive, is seen in original condition standing at Platform 7 on an up express service to Paddington in April 1914. Churchward looked at the best practice from both Europe and the USA, and was impressed by the performance of the de Glehn compounds running on the Nord railway in France. A single locomotive, No 102 France built specifically for the GWR by the Societe Alsacienne des Construction Mechaniques on the de Glehn principles and was delivered in October 1903. Two other French locomotives were to follow, No 103 President and No 103 Alliance were also purchased and all three were tested against Churwood's own designs.

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