GWR 4100 Class

In 1897 the Great Western Railway (GWR) introduced the Badminton class express passenger 4-4-0 steam locomotives as a development from the earlier Duke class. The name Badminton was chosen after the Duke of Beaufort's Badminton estate, through which the GWR was building a new line to South Wales at the time.[1]

Further modifications to the design resulted in the Atbara Class entering service in 1900, the names for these locomotives generally being taken from contemporary military engagements or senior army commanders. Later engines were named after cities of the British Empire.

The final batch of locomotives were named after varieties of garden plant and in consequence were known as the Flower Class.

These three types were later standardised and treated as a single class, so are listed together here. Four other prototype 4-4-0s, originally built in 1894 as the Armstrong Class, were also later rebuilt as Badmintons (see below).

This class were subject to the 1912 renumbering of GWR 4-4-0 locomotives, which saw the Bulldog Class gathered together in the series 3300-3455, and other types renumbered out of that series. This class took numbers 4100-4172 (of which numbers 4101-4120 had previously been used by Flower Class locomotives).

Contents

Badminton class

Numbers Names
First Second (1912) First Second
3292 4100 Badminton
3293 4101 Barrington
3294 4102 Blenheim
3295 4103 Bessborough
3296 4104 Cambria
3297 4105 Earl Cawdor
3298 4106 Grosvenor
3299 4107 Hubbard Alexander Hubbard
3300 4108 Hotspur
3301 4109 Monarch
3302 4110 Mortimer Charles Mortimer
3303 4111 Marlborough
3304 4112 Oxford Denamed in 1927
3305 4113 Samson
3306 4114 Shelburne
3307 4115 Shrewsbury Denamed in 1927
3308 4116 Savernake
3309 4117 Shakespeare
3310 4118 Waterford
3311 4119 Wynnstay

One particular locomotive of the Badminton Class was the subject of one of Churchward's experiments. With the impending opening of the direct Reading-Taunton route which was of more undulating nature than the route via Bristol, there was need to ensure that the most appropriate locomotives were provided. Churchward's chief draughtsman F.G. Wright argued that a larger boiler, containing more hot water, would allow rapid steam production if the boiler pressure was reduced, a practice known as "mortgaging the boiler". To test the practice No. 3297, Earl Cawdor, was rebuilt to emerge in July 1903 with a considerably larger boiler and a new cab inspired by North Eastern practice.[2][3] The locomotive was regularly rostered on the most demanding trains, but it soon became apparent that the locomotive was not up to the work demanded and it was relegated to secondary duties. In October 1906 the boiler was removed and replaced by a standard GWR No.4 boiler, the North Eastern style side-window cab having been replaced by a Churchward type in November 1904.[2][3]

Atbara class

Ten locomotives (numbers 3400-3409) were rebuilt as City Class locomotives. One (number 3382) was withdrawn in September 1911 following an accident, so was not included in the 1912 renumbering.

Numbers Names
First Second (1912) First Second Third
3373 4120 Atbara
3374 4121 Baden Powell
3375 4122 Conqueror Edgcumbe Colonel Edgcumbe
3376 4123 Herschell Denamed in 1914
3377 4124 Kitchener
3378 4125 Khartoum
3379 4126 Kimberley
3380 4127 Ladysmith
3381 4128 Maine
3382 Withdrawn Mafeking
3383 4129 Kekewich
3384 4130 Omdurman
3385 4131 Powerful
3386 4132 Pembroke Denamed in 1930
3387 4133 Roberts
3388 4134 Sir Redvers
3389 4135 Sir Daniel Pretoria
3390 4136 Terrible
3391 4137 Wolseley
3392 4138 White
3393 4139 Auckland
3394 4140 Adelaide Denamed in 1910
3395 4141 Aden
3396 4142 Brisbane
3397 4143 Cape Town
3398 4144 Colombo
3399 4145 Dunedin
3400 City 3700 Durban
3401 City 3701 Gibraltar
3402 City 3702 Halifax
3403 City 3703 Hobart
3404 City 3704 Lyttelton
3405 City 3705 Mauritius
3406 City 3706 Melbourne
3407 City 3707 Malta
3408 City 3708 Killarney
3409 City 3709 Quebec
3410 4146 Sydney
3411 4147 St. Johns
3412 4148 Singapore

Flower class

Numbers Name
First Second (1912)
4101 4149 Auricula
4102 4150 Begonia
4103 4151 Calceolaria
4104 4152 Calendula
4105 4153 Camellia
4106 4154 Campanula
4107 4155 Cineraria
4108 4156 Gardenia
4109 4157 Lobelia
4110 4158 Petunia
4111 4159 Anemone
4112 4160 Carnation
4113 4161 Hyacinth
4114 4162 Marguerite
4115 4163 Marigold
4116 4164 Mignonette
4117 4165 Narcissus
4118 4166 Polyanthus
4119 4167 Primrose
4120 4168 Stephanotis

Prototype 4-4-0 locomotives

These were built in 1894, and originally had 7'1.5" driving wheels; when rebuilt with 6'8.5" wheels, the same size as the Flower class, they were renumbered, directly following on from that class.[4]

Numbers Date
Renumbered		 Names
First Second First Second
16 4169 April 1915 Charles Saunders
14 4170 May 1917 Brunel
7 4171 February 1923 Charles Saunders Armstrong
8 4172 February 1923 Gooch

External links

References

  1. ^ Davies, Ken (April 1993). The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway, part fourteen: Names and their Origins - Railmotor Services - War Service - The Complete Preservation Story. Lincoln: RCTS. p. P107. ISBN 0 901115 75 4. 
  2. ^ a b Freezer, Cyril J (March 1971). "Locomotives of the GWR: Earl Cawdor". Railway Modeller (Beer: Peco Publications & Publicity Ltd) Vol.22 (No.245): p92. 
  3. ^ a b LeFleming, H.M. (October 1954). Dean's Larger Tender Engines. The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway. Part 7. Railway Correspondence and Travel Society. p. G30. 
  4. ^ LeFleming, H.M. (October 1954). Dean's Larger Tender Engines. The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway. Part 7. Railway Correspondence and Travel Society. pp. G27–G29.