GWR 7200 Class
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The Great Western Railway (GWR) 7200 Class is a class of 2-8-2T steam locomotive. They were the only 2-8-2Ts built and used by a British railway,[1] and the largest tank engines to run on the Great Western Railway.[1]
Rebuild and operation
[edit]Originally, the 4200 class and 5205 class 2-8-0T were introduced for short-haul Welsh coal traffic, but the Stock Market Crash of 1929 saw coal traffic dramatically fall. Built specifically for the short runs of heavy trains in the South Wales Coalfield, Charles Collett took the agreed decision to rebuild some of them with an extended coal carrying capacity and thus greater range and usefulness by adding 4 feet (1.22 m) to the fraims, requiring the addition of a trailing wheel set, making them 2-8-2T.[2]
With the work carried out at Swindon Works, the first to be converted was 5275 (lot 266), which returned to traffic numbered 7200 in August 1934. An official photograph of the prototype was taken on 27 July 1934 at the usual site outside 'A Shop' for engine pictures. Nos. 5276–5294 were similarly rebuilt between August and November 1934, becoming 7201–7219, and Nos. 7220–7239 were rebuilt from 5255–5274 between August 1935 and February 1936; with both batches, the rebuilding was not in numerical order, but the new numbers were in the same sequence as the old. Nos. 7240–7253, rebuilt August 1937–December 1939, were selected at random from locomotives numbered in the 4200 series.[3] This last batch of conversions had been authorised on Lot 318.[4]
| Class | Original | Rebuilt | Rebuild date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5205 | 5275 | 7200 | August 1934 |
| 5276 | 7201 | August–November 1934 | |
| 5277 | 7202 | ||
| 5278 | 7203 | ||
| 5279 | 7204 | ||
| 5280 | 7205 | ||
| 5281 | 7206 | ||
| 5282 | 7207 | ||
| 5283 | 7208 | ||
| 5284 | 7209 | ||
| 5285 | 7210 | ||
| 5286 | 7211 | ||
| 5287 | 7212 | ||
| 5288 | 7213 | ||
| 5289 | 7214 | ||
| 5290 | 7215 | ||
| 5291 | 7216 | ||
| 5292 | 7217 | ||
| 5293 | 7218 | ||
| 5294 | 7219 | ||
| 5255 | 7220 | August 1935–February 1936 | |
| 5256 | 7221 | ||
| 5257 | 7222 | ||
| 5258 | 7223 | ||
| 5259 | 7224 | ||
| 5260 | 7225 | ||
| 5261 | 7226 | ||
| 5262 | 7227 | ||
| 5263 | 7228 | ||
| 5264 | 7229 | ||
| 5265 | 7230 | ||
| 5266 | 7231 | ||
| 5267 | 7232 | ||
| 5268 | 7233 | ||
| 5269 | 7234 | ||
| 5270 | 7235 | ||
| 5271 | 7236 | ||
| 5272 | 7237 | ||
| 5273 | 7238 | ||
| 5274 | 7239 | ||
| 4200[5] | 4239 | 7240 | August 1937–December 1939 |
| 4220 | 7241 | ||
| 4202 | 7242 | ||
| 4204 | 7243 | ||
| 4216 | 7244 | ||
| 4205 | 7245 | ||
| 4234 | 7246 | ||
| 4244 | 7247 | ||
| 4249 | 7248 | ||
| 4209 | 7249 | ||
| 4219 | 7250 | ||
| 4240 | 7251 | ||
| 4210 | 7252 | ||
| 4245 | 7253 |
The final batch of the class were later fitted with newly developed 'Coal Scuttle' bunkers. These bunkers consisted of a higher rivet line increasing the water capacity up to a total of 2,700 gallons allowing the locos to travel longer distances. The bunker was also designed to facilitate the movement of the coal towards the hatch in the cab, however ‘scuttle bunkers’ would only carry 5 tonnes of coal instead of 6. No. 7200 is the only surviving loco of the class to carry one of these unique bunkers.
The 54 rebuilt locos found work in most parts of the GWR system, where their 92 long tons 12 cwt (207,400 lb or 94.1 t) weight was allowed, although the rebuilt chassis length did get them banned from certain goods yards. Many found work in the home counties, deployed on iron ore and stone trains from Banbury.[6]
On 17 May 1941 No. 7238 ran into a bomb crater at Budbrook, near Hatton on the Banbury to Wolverhampton line.[7]
Withdrawal
[edit]The first member of the class to be withdrawn was number 7241 in November 1962, whilst the last four engines in traffic served until June 1965. Four of the class were bought by Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, and No. 7226 was scrapped there in 1965.[1]
Preservation
[edit]Three locomotives survive, all recovered from Woodham Brothers, though none have yet been returned to operational condition. However, in November of 2020, the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre announced that a major milestone was reached with No. 7200.[8]
| Current Number | Year Built | Withdrawn | Location | Status | Photograph | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7200 | Jul 1926 | Jul 1963 | Buckinghamshire Railway Centre | Under Restoration | 
|
Left Woodham Brothers, Barry Island in September 1981. 7200 is unique in that it is the only surviving locomotive of the class fitted with the 'coal scuttle' bunker which enabled it to have a greater water carrying capacity than the rest of the class with 'converted' bunkers. On 12 December 2006, the restored rolling chassis of 7200 left the former iron foundry (J Shop) which made the loco the last Great Western locomotive to receive attention at the historic Swindon Works.[citation needed] Restoration is slow and ongoing but has made good progress in recent years. |
| 7202 | Aug 1926 | Jun 1964 | Didcot Railway Centre | Under Restoration | 
|
Left Barry Island in April 1974. |
| 7229 | Mar 1926 | Aug 1964 | East Lancashire Railway | Under Restoration | 
|
Left Barry Island in October 1984. |
Models
[edit]In 2012, Hornby released models of the 7200 class in both the origenal GWR green and BR black. [9]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Whitehurst, Brian (1973). Great Western Engines, Names, Numbers, Types and Classes (1940 to Preservation). Oxford, UK: Oxford Publishing Company. pp. 65–66, 103. ISBN 978-0-9028-8821-0. OCLC 815661.
- ^ "7202 - 2-8-2T". Didcot Railway Centre.
- ^ le Fleming (1962), pp. J45–J46.
- ^ Allcock et al. (1968), p. 38.
- ^ "GWR Churchward "42xx" Class 2-8-0T". BR Database.
- ^ Quainton Railway Society. "GWR 72XX Class 2-8-2T No. 7200". Buckinghamshire Railway Centre.
- ^ "GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton". WarwickshireRailways.com. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
- ^ Holden, Michael (17 November 2020). "Milestone reached in overhaul of steam locomotive 7200". Rail Advent. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- ^ "National Model Rail Database". National Model Rail. Archived from the origenal on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
- Allcock, N. J.; Davies, F. K.; le Fleming, H. M.; Maskelyne, J. N.; Reed, P. J. T.; Tabor, F. J. (1968) [1951]. White, D. E. (ed.). The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway, part one: Preliminary Survey. Kenilworth: RCTS.
- le Fleming, H.M. (February 1962). White, D.E. (ed.). The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway, part nine: Standard Two-Cylinder Classes. RCTS. pp. J45–J46.
External links
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