GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Leamington Spa - BR Locomotives: gwrls2030

Ex-GWR 2-6-0 No 53?7 arrives at Leamington station on a down express in the early 1960s. Roger Ferris writes regarding the locomotive's identity, which had been initially identified as No 5387, 'No 5387 was a 2-6-0 locomotive built at Swindon (works no 2759), completed in week ending 13th August 1920 as part of lot 209. No 5387 was originally built as a 43xx class locomotive, but on 19th March 1928 was renumbered 8387 following the addition of a heavy casting behind the front buffer beam, inserted to avoid excessive flange wear on the leading coupled wheels. Most of the modified locomotives (83xx class) were restored to their original condition in 1944 (and given their original numbers back) because the additional weight restricted their operation to Red routes and the flange problem was only an issue on severely curved track. No 8387 however was not restored, but withdrawn 4th March 1939 after only 698,726 miles and some parts (wheels and motion) were used in 4-6-0 Grange (68xx class) locomotive 6879 (lot 308) built week ending 11th May 1939. This was part of a plan to rebuild 100 locomotives, but the Second World War intervened and only 80 were converted.

To cut a long story short, the locomotive in the picture is in BR livery with a BR number plate on the smokebox door, so it cannot be No 5387. As this is definitely a 43xx class locomotive the first two digits will be 43, 53, 63 or 73. It is not a 93xx variant as the cab shape without side windows indicate this. I cannot see the motion flange width which would indicate if this was an early or later version. There are some other characteristics on specific locomotives (such as those not built by Swindon, which had makers plates on the splashers and rain bars on the cab roof), but none of these are visible through the steam. The locomotive has the large parallel 'Collett' style buffers, which would exclude some of the early 43xx locomotives and is fitted with ATC apparatus, but that does not exclude many options. It has outside steam pipes but again virtually all of this class had received these by BR days. As the first two digits appear to be 53, for information with the exception of 5387 all the other 53 -?-7 locomotives survived in to BR days. Sorry not to be any more help'.

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