GWR locomotive numbering and classification

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The GWR was the longest-lived of the pre-nationalisation railway companies in Britain, surviving the 'Grouping' of the railways in 1923 almost unchanged. As a result, the history of its numbering and classification of locomotives is relatively complicated. This page explains the principal systems that were used.


Contents

[edit] Numbering

[edit] Broad Gauge Era

From the start, the GWR gave names only to its broad gauge locomotive stock. However, many classes carried 'themed' names, e.g. stars or signs of the zodiac, which aided identification of locomotives to some extent. See List of broad gauge (7 feet) railway locomotive names

The exception to this rule was that any broad gauge locomotives the GWR absorbed from other railways (in particular, the South Devon Railway and Bristol and Exeter Railway) were given numbers in the 2000-2199 series. This applied even where locomotives had carried names under their previous owner (indeed, these names were usually removed by the GWR) and even when the locomotives had originally belonged to the GWR and had been sold out of stock!

Towards the end of the broad gauge era, a number of locomotives were built to a design that enabled them to be easily converted from one gauge to the other (hence the term 'convertibles' used for these locomotives). These engines also carried numbers in the standard gauge series, whether or not they were running in broad gauge form.

[edit] Standard Gauge 1854-1884

Initially standard gauge locomotive numbering was a simple sequential system, starting from 1. Numbering in this series eventually reached 2799. While large classes of engine normally took the next new numbers available, smaller classes would often been numbered so as to reuse numbers left vacant by the withdrawal of older locomotives, especially where they were designed as direct replacements.

[edit] Standard Gauge 1884-1912

This approach was later modified so that there were various different series in use. At this time new classes usually commenced from the number xx01, with any prototype locomotives taking low numbers below 110. As mentioned above, broad gauge engines absorbed from other railways took numbers in the 2001-2199 series; express passenger locomotives were numbered in a consecutive series commencing at 3001; and a series commencing at 3501 was used for 2-4-0T locomotives.

Numbers Types
Up to 1999 0-6-0, 0-4-2 and 2-4-0 shunters and freight locomotives (mainly tank engines)
2001 onwards Absorbed broad gauge locomotives (later reused for 0-6-0 shunters)
2201 onwards 0-6-0, 2-4-0 and 2-6-0 shunters and freight locomotives (mainly tender engines)
3001 onwards 4-2-2 express passenger locomotives
3201 onwards 2-4-0 and 4-4-0 express passenger locomotives
3501 onwards 2-4-0, 2-4-2 and 4-4-0 passenger locomotives
4001 onwards 4-6-0 express passenger locomotives

[edit] 1912 Renumbering

In December 1912, the GWR undertook a renumbering of its 4-4-0 locomotives so that locomotives of the same class were numbered consecutively. This desirable aim was made more important following the rebuilding of some Duke and Atbara locomotives to Bulldog and City class designs.

Class Original Numbers New Number Range
Atbara 3373-3412 4120-4148 (others rebuilt to City)
Badminton 3292-3311 4100-4119
Bird 3731-3745 3441-3455
Bulldog (ex-Duke) Various (from 3253-3331) 3300-3319
Bulldog (new build) 3332-3372, 3413-3432, 3443-3472, 3701-3730 3320-3440
City (ex-Atbara) 3400-3409 3700-3709
City (new build) 3433-3442 3710-3719
County 3473-3482, 3801-3830 3800, 3831-3839 (3801-3830 not renumbered)
Duke 3252-3291, 3312-3331 3252-3291 (others rebuilt to Bulldog)
Flower 4101-4120 4149-4168
(Prototypes) 16, 14, 7, 8 4169-4172

[edit] Standard Gauge 1912 onwards

From the time of the 1912 renumbering, a system was adopted for new locomotives where the second digit indicated the broad type of locomotive. For example, express passenger locomotives had x0xx numbers and large mixed traffic tender locomotives were x9xx. When a class numbered more than 100 locos, rather than continue the numbers consecutively the second digit remained constant (e.g. 4900 Class included 4900-4999, 5900-5999, and 6900 onwards).

At the same time, a change was made so that new classes usually commenced from the number xx00. There was a certain amount of renumbering so that the prototype locomotives for existing classes took the appropriate xx00 number before the series used by production locomotives. Thus, from this time on, numbers below 2000 were mainly occupied by old, absorbed or otherwise non-standard locomotives, including the experimental diesel locomotives used by the GWR.

[edit] 1923 Renumbering

In 1923, the GWR absorbed a number of small railway companies as part of the Grouping. The locomotives that it inherited were renumbered into gaps in the number series below 2199 left vacant by the withdrawal of older locomotives. Many of these engines were withdrawn after a short period of time, but those that survived in 1946 were subject to another renumbering to rationalise the system further (see below).

The bulk of the locomotives absorbed were renumbered into gaps in broad number ranges according to their wheel arrangement. Locomotives from the following railways were included in this scheme: Alexandra Docks Railway, Barry Railway, Cambrian Railways, Cardiff Railway, Midland and South Western Junction Railway, Port Talbot Railway, Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway, Rhymney Railway, South Wales Mineral Railway, Taff Vale Railway, Vale of Rheidol Railway, and Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway.

Locomotives from the Brecon and Merthyr Railway, Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway and Neath and Brecon Railway were also renumbered according to their wheel arrangement, but used a different set of number ranges.

The number ranges used for all these locomotives are set out below, but note that those engines that had previously been sold out of stock by the GWR regained their original GWR numbers, and were not allocated new numbers in these ranges:

Wheel Arrangement Main Number Range BMR, BPGVR and NBR Range
0-4-4T 2-23
2-6-0 24
4-4-4T 25-27
0-6-2T 30-603 11-1375, 1668-1833
0-6-0T 604-843 2161-2199
0-6-0 844-1013
4-4-0 1014-1128
4-4-0T 1129-1184 1392
2-4-0T 1189-1197 1400-1458
2-6-2T 1199-1213
4-4-2T 1301-1306 1391
2-4-2T 1307-1326
2-4-0 1328-1336
0-4-0T 1338-1343
0-6-4T 1344-1357
0-8-2T 1358-1386
0-8-0 1387-1390

The locomotives inherited by the GWR from other concerns were renumbered as follows:

[edit] 1946 Renumbering

By 1946, the majority of the locomotives inherited at the 1923 Grouping had been withdrawn, as had most of the older GWR engines numbered below 2000. In order to tidy up the gaps in this number range, it was decided to renumber the surviving locomotives from each pre-Grouping company together. The series used were:

[edit] Application by British Railways

When the GWR was nationalised as part of British Railways in 1948, its steam locomotives retained their numbers unchanged and new steam engines built to GWR designs continued to be allocated numbers in the same way as the GWR had done. However, its diesel locomotives were completely renumbered. They took numbers 15100-15107 in the 15xxx series allocated to pre-Nationalisation design diesel shunters.

[edit] Classification

A very simple system was adopted, whereby the name (for broad-gauge locomotives) or number of the first locomotive in a class became the classification for all locomotives in that class (e.g. 'Sun Class', '4000 Class'). After the end of the broad gauge, names were applied to principal passenger and mixed-traffic standard-gauge locomotives. These were often based on a single theme, which could also lend its name to describe a class, for example 'Stars', also known as the '4000 Class', whose names included 'North Star', 'Rising Star' etc.

However, the classes of locomotives inherited at the Grouping in 1923 continued to be referred to by the classification allocated to them by their original owner.


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British railway rolling stock numbering and classification systems