GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Hatton Bank: gwrhb2962

Ex-Great Western Railway 4-6-0 49xx (Hall) class No 4984 ‘Albrighton Hall’ powers up Hatton Bank on the Down Main line with a class H ‘through freight’ train (see 'Headcode') in October 1961. The train is being assisted in the rear by a 2-6-2T prairie locomotive. Locomotive No 4984 was built in January 1931 at Swindon Works as part of lot 268. The Hall class locomotives were a development of the two cylinder express passenger Saint class locomotives. An existing locomotive, ‘Saint Martin’ was successfully modified in 1924 with six foot diameter wheels instead of its original six foot, eight inch diameter wheels. With the same standard No 1 boiler as the Saint class, it developed a tractive effort at 85% of 27,275 lb, (Power group - D) and their maximum axle weight was 18 tons, 9 cwt, which limited them to main lines and some branch lines (Route code - Red). For details about the Great Western Railway classification system - see 'Engine Map'. Despite the route limitation, the design proved to be extremely successful and the locomotives were found to be equally at home hauling heavy freight trains or fast express services. As a result, two hundred and fifty-nine 49xx (Hall) class and a further seventy-one 6959 (Modified Hall) class locomotives were eventually built. Locomotive No 4984 was initially allocated to Worcester shed (WOS), but in March 1959 was known to be allocated to Oxley Shed (84B), north of Wolverhampton. No 4984 was finally withdrawn from Cardiff (East Dock) shed (88L) in September 1962.

Robert Ferris

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