GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Leamington Spa - BR Locomotives: gwrls2064

An unidentified ex-GWR King Class locomotive is seen arriving at Leamington station on 1st December 1951. The GWR 60xx Class or King was designed for express passenger work and, with one exception the Great Bear a 4-6-2 locomotive, they were the largest locomotives the GWR built. They were named after kings of the United Kingdom and of England, beginning with the reigning monarch, King George V, and going back through history. Following the death of King George V, the highest-numbered engine was renamed after his successor; and following the abdication of the latter, the next-highest engine was also renamed after the new King, George VI. The name of these locomotives, so familiar to us today, would have been very different if it was not for the invitation to participate in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad celebrations as the original naming scheme for the class had been to name them after cathedrals. When the US trip was planned it was felt that a more unmistakably British icon was needed and naming them after English Kings was thought to be the most iconic. During the planning and construction the engine prior to the naming of the first locomotive the class were dubbed the 'Super-Castles'.

The Class were an enlarged version of Collett's Castle Class, which in turn was an enlargement of Churchward's Star Class. Churchward had proposed fitting the 6 foot diameter boiler used on his 4700 Class 2-8-0 on to a 4-6-0 chassis in 1919 to create a more powerful express locomotive, but had been prevented from doing so due to weight restrictions on several bridges on the GWR main line. Collett's Castle class of 1923 was therefore a compromise with a 5' 6" boiler. However, bridge strengthening and a better understanding of the impact of hammer blow on structures brought about by the work of the 'Bridge Stress Committee' set up by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research led to the relaxation of these restrictions. The new design was partly to meet future traffic requirements, but was also a response to the Great Western Railway publicity department's desire to regain the title of having the 'most powerful express passenger steam locomotive in Britain', which had been taken from the Castle Class in 1926 by the Southern Railway Lord Nelson Class. The engines, as originally designed, delivered 39,700 lbf tractive effort, with 16 inch bore by 28 inch stroke cylinders and 250 pounds per square inch boiler.

At a request from Sir Felix Pole, the GWR's General Manager, to get the tractive effort up to above 40,000 lbf which was a major goal, the cylinders were enlarged to 16¼ inch bore, bringing the figure up to 40,300 lbf. This increase was removed on all members of the class at their first major overhaul. The distinctive design of the leading bogie with outside bearings on the front axle and inside bearings on the rear axle was to allow for these larger cylinders. The first member of the class, No 6000 'King George V', appeared in 1927 and was sent on a tour of North America, for the Centenary celebrations of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, where its sleek appearance and smooth performance impressed everyone. The application of pressurised oil lubrication showed its advantages over the largely grease lubricated US Locomotives, and was even incorporated into a later design for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1928. The locomotive 'King George V' was presented by Baltimore and Ohio Railroad with a brass bell to mark the occasion.

back