GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Leamington Spa Station: gwrls877

GWR 2-6-2T 45xx class No 4558 from Worcester via Evesham stands in the up platform bay with two through coaches from Stratford. The GWR would timetable its suburban and rural services to provide the motive power for such tasks. In this instance the two coaches would be quickly attached to the rear of a London-bound express which strengthened the train's capacity. The other option would otherwise be for the incoming train to already have sufficient capacity which in many instances would be an uneconomic use of coaching stock if the train was originating in Birkenhead etc. Number 4558 was built at Swindon to Lot 22 in September 1924 and lasted in service for thirty-eight years before being withdrawn from Neyland shed in July 1962 to be scrapped by J Cashmore of Newport in October 1962.

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