GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Leamington Spa - GWR Locomotives: gwrls210

Great Western Railway 51xx class 2-6-2T 'Large Prairie' No 5139 stands at Leamington's up platform the head of an up local passenger train (denoted by the class B single lamp headcode on top of the smokebox – see headcodes).

This locomotive was built at Swindon Works (lot 159) in March 1906 as a 31xx class prairie tank with number ‘No 3139’. The early days found most of the 31xx class allocated to South Wales Shed and No 3139 was initially allocated to Canton Shed (CDF) at Cardiff. The sloping side tanks could hold 2,000 gallons of water and these were the first Great Western Railway locomotives to be fitted with a two way steam operated water pickup, which could be used to collect water from water troughs. The locomotive had a standard No 2 long coned sloping boiler, which operated a pressure of 195 lbs giving a tractive effort at 85% of 23,690 lb and were classified in power group D. The maximum axle weight was 18 tons, 4 cwt, which restricted these locomotives to main lines and a few branches (Route colour Red). Several of the locomotives performed banking duties and from 1909 all the class were fitted with struts to relieve the strain on the front buffer beam when banking. No 3139 was fitted with a boiler with a two row 12 tube / 72 element superheater arrangement in September 1911. In 1919 the boiler pressure was standardised at 200 lbs giving a tractive effort at 85% of 24,300 lb. At around the same time the bunkers were extended to hold a further 18 cwt of coal.

To increase the operational versatility of the 31xx class locomotives, some of the class had their weight reduced in 1927. This was achieved by limiting the water tank capacity to 1,600 gallons. Subsequently the whole class were modified at Swindon Works to redistribute their weight and the tanks were restored to their original capacity. This modification reduced the maximum axle weight to 17 tons 5 cwt, which allowed the locomotives to traverse Blue coloured routes. To distinguish those locomotives that had been modified, they were renumbered as 51xx locomotives (keeping the last two digits). No 3139 was modified in June 1929 and renumbered as No 5139. A short safety valve bonnet and narrow cast iron chimney were fitted at about the same time. Recognising their power and acceleration capabilities, the 51xx class locomotives were nearly all transferred to suburban passenger duties in the West Midlands. No 5139 was initially allocated to Stafford Road Shed (SRD) near Wolverhampton, but moved to Leamington Shed (LMTN) in August 1929 and then to Stourbridge Shed (STB) in October 1934. In February 1942, No 5139 was allocated to Wellington Shed (WLN) from where the locomotive was eventually withdrawn in November 1952. No 5139 was scrapped at Swindon Works in January 1953 with a total recorded mileage of 885,757.

Robert Ferris

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