GWR Routes: Banbury to Wolverhampton

GWR Routes: North Warwickshire Line

Moor Street Station: gwrms1699

One of the Moor Street traverser tables undergoing a weight test in situ with two Great Western Railway 2-4-2T 36XX class locomotives. These locomotives each weighed 64 tons, 13 cwt. so the total load was approximately 130 tons, and the locomotives were positioned on one of the side rail roads to exert an uneven load on the table. The traverser table was designed to carry a load of 170 tons. It was supported by thirty six wheels evenly distributed on nine rails. The nearest locomotive is No.3623 which was built at Swindon works as part of lot 143 in November 1903, while the locomotive behind is from lot 134 built in the previous year. The earlier locomotives had slightly smaller coal bunkers with coal rails above. No. 3623 was built with a short cone (D2) belpaire boiler, but this was changed to a long cone (D3) belpaire boiler in August 1915. In March 1925 this locomotive was superheated.

The mushroom head feature on the top of the side water tanks was an air vent, which allowed water to be scooped up from water troughs by steam operated two-way water pick-up apparatus. This was not entirely successful, being modified to a manual pick-up in 1905 and finally removed about 1921. The 36XX class were designed for suburban passenger services and many were deployed in the Birmingham area. They were eventually superseded by the more powerful 2-6-2T prairie locomotives and all the class was withdrawn between 1930 and 1934. No.3623 is believed to have always been allocated to the Northern Division of the Great Western Railway, the locomotive was known to have been allocated to Tyseley shed (TYS) in January 1921 and to Wolverhampton shed (SRD) in May 1922. No. 3623 was withdrawn from Stratford-upon-Avon Shed (TYS sub-shed) in April 1931.

Robert Ferris

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