GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Leamington Shed: gwrls4034

Great Western Railway 4-4-0 3252 (Duke) class No 3278 ‘Trefusis’ with class H lamp headcode on the up middle road at Leamington Spa in 1929. This lamp headcode indicates a Goods Train carrying a through load to destination (see 'Headcodes' for more details). As the train appears to consist of Cattle Wagons (Telegraph code MEX) and a Livestock train would typically have been given a more important lamp headcode (C, E or F), it is likely these are empty stock.

This locomotive was built at Swindon Works in March 1897 as part of lot 105 and numbered No 3289. While large single wheel 4-2-2 express locomotives were being designed for Brunel’s billiard table between Paddington a Bristol, the ‘Duke’ class was designed to have the greater adhesion necessary for climbing the steep inclines of the Devon Banks. With a pressure of 160lbs, the standard straight boiler with dome at the back (group 76, code NB) could produce a tractive effort at 85% of 16,848lbs, while the maximum axle weight of 15tons 7cwt limited the locomotives to main lines and some branch lines (Route Colour – Blue). The small diameter wheels (five foot eight inches) gave the ‘Duke‘ class locomotives good acceleration and they were soon found hauling important passenger services on secondary routes. Locomotive No 3289 was initially allocated to Didcot Shed (DID) and regularly worked passenger services to Winchester. In November 1907 a parallel domeless boiler with raised Belpaire firebox (group 78) was fitted and the boiler pressure raised to 180lbs. This increased the tractive effort at 85% to 18,955lbs (Power Group – B). Many of other 4-4-0 Great Western Railway locomotives had been reboilered about this time and in December 1912 the Company decided to renumber their 4-4-0 locomotives to group those of similar tractive effort together. On this date No 3289 was renumbered No 3278.

The ‘Duke’ class had gradually been superseded on important routes by more powerful locomotives, but following the Grouping in 1921, the locomotives found a new lease of life on the absorbed Cambrian Railway, where heavy locomotives were prohibited. That year No 3278 was found allocated to Stafford Road Shed (SRD) near Wolverhampton. The boiler was replaced in December 1923 with a domed version with flush Belpaire firebox (group 79), but in April 1926 another domeless boiler was fitted. Finally in March 1929 a superheated domed boiler with a flush Belpaire firebox (group 80) was fitted. About this time the cab side sheets were modified to be flush at the back with the wider 3,500 gallon tenders and Automatic Train Control (ATC) apparatus was fitted in 1930-31. The introduction of the light weight 4-6-0 ‘Manor’ class locomotives in 1938, meant the ‘Duke’ class became superfluous on the Welsh lines and No 3278 was withdrawn from Swindon Shed (SDN) in December 1938.

Robert Ferris

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