GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Leamington Spa - GWR Locomotives: gwrls207

GWR 4-6-0 29XX ‘Saint’ class No 2905 'Lady Macbeth' on an up goods train. The Headcode lamps indicates a class C train, which is either fully vacuum fitted stock (of parcels, newspapers, fish, meat, milk, livestock or perishables) or a livestock, perishable or ballast train part vacuum fitted with not less than one third of the vacuum fitted vehicles connected to the locomotive by vacuum pipe. Circa 1927.

Number 2905 was one of the batch of ten ‘Ladies’ built at Swindon in May 1906 (Lot 164). The ‘Ladies’ differed from the previous members of the class by having two 18 1/8 inch cylinders, which resulted in a tractive effort of 23,382lb. The cylinders were later standardised at 18 ½ inch producing a tractive effort of 24,395lb. The ‘Ladies’ were the last batch of ‘Saints’ to be built with straight drop ends. No 2905 was built with a half cone tapered Standard No 1 boiler and short smokebox. The boilers was changed to the long cone tapered type in September 1907 and No 2905 was superheated in November 1909. Other modifications included the fitting of whistle shields in 1925 and shorter safety valve bonnets in 1927. No 2905 was fitted with new cylinders with outside steampipes in March 1931.

The advent of the ‘Castle’ class gradually displaced the ‘Saints’ from front line duties, but these were useful engines and withdrawal was protracted, governed by condition rather than age. In both 1921 and 1934 No 2905 was allocated to Pontypool Road Shed in South Wales and was finally withdrawn from Cardiff Canton Shed (CDF) in April 1948.

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