GWR Route: The North Warwickshire Line

GWR Route: Stratford on Avon to Hatton

Stratford on Avon Shed: gwrsa1449

Great Western Railway 2-6-2T 51xx class large prairie No 5134 standing over the pit in front of Stratford-on-Avon engine shed on 4th August 1936. The engine shed was 155 feet long and had two roads. In the roof above each rail road were smoke troughs connected to the tall ventilation stacks. Just inside the engine shed on the right was the access to the office (note the chimneys) and towards the rear on the same side was access to the stores building. The building with the stub chimney to the right of the tracks is the sand furnace for drying sand. The rear doors of the engine shed are open although no track goes beyond the shed. Note the large pile of spare coal stacked to the left of the locomotive. No 5134 was built at Swindon Works in June 1905 (lot 159) as a 31xx class locomotive with the number No 3134. All 31xx class engines were subsequently altered to improve their weight distribution and following this modification were renumbered. No 5134 received this number in November 1928. Like many of the 51xx class was allocated to sheds in the Birmingham Area for suburban passenger duties. It is known that No 5134 was allocated to Stratford sub shed in 1934 and to Stourbridge shed (STB) in December 1947 and was withdrawn from this shed in April 1951.

Robert Ferris

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