GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Leamington Spa - GWR Locomotives: gwrls202

GWR 51xx class 2-6-2T Prairie No 5116 stands at the up platform with a local service from Stratford upon Avon. The photograph shows No 5116 with extended bunker, a high cab, tall safety valve bonnet and plain cast iron chimney. Neither the company name nor the 1934 monogram is evident and no power group / route colour marking can be seen. Number 5116 was built at Swindon in February 1905 as a 31xx class locomotive with the number No 3116. All 31XX class engines were subsequently altered to improve their weight distribution and following this modification were renumbered. No 5116 received this number in May 1928 and like many of the 51XX class was allocated to sheds in the Birmingham Area for suburban passenger duties. It is known that No 5116 was allocated to Stourbridge Shed in 1934 and was withdrawn from Tyseley Shed (TYS) in March 1939. After withdrawal, the frames were fitted with new front ends and the engine rebuilt with a new higher pressure boiler (225lb) and smaller diameter coupled wheels (5’6”). It was originally intended to rebuild the forty 51XX class and ten of the 5101 class engines to create a new class of modern suburban passenger tank engines with faster acceleration, however the second world war intervened and only ten 51XX engines were rebuilt into the class 81XX 2-6-2Ts. The frames of No 5116 became part of No 8107, which was placed in traffic at Leamington in July 1939. No 8107 was withdrawn from Worcester Shed (85A) in May 1962 and scrapped at Swindon Works in June 1962.

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