GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Leamington Spa - GWR Locomotives: gwrls173

GWR 2-6-2T 'Large Prairie' No 5163 stands at the head of an up local passenger train with the snow still fairly fresh on the ground circa 1939. Number 5163 was built as a new engine by Swindon works to Lot 259 in November 1930 and remained in service until withdrawn from Tyseley shed in November 1959 for scrapping by J Cashmore of Newport in February 1960. A batch of these Large Prairies in the 51xx series had their GWR roundels placed asymmetrically on their tanks, for reasons unknown. The capuchon on the chimney was a rarity on a Large Prairie, but the locomotives shared the same (Standard No 2) boiler with several other classes, notably the Bulldogs, and it is possible 5163 is carrying a boiler from a withdrawn Bulldog, maybe one the locos whose boiler became redundant when the Dukedogs were constructed.

Russ Elliott

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