GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Leamington Spa - GWR Locomotives: gwrls866

An unidentified GWR 0-6-0PT 54xx class auto tank stands at the head of a one coach auto train en-route to Banbury. The Great Western Railway's 54xx class were similar in appearance to many other GWR Pannier Tank engines but smaller than the ubiquitous GWR 5700 Class. They were in fact related to a Dean-designed and Wolverhampton railway works built saddle tank, the GWR 2021 Class. This was a light compact design with 4' 1½" wheels, itself derived from the smaller Armstrong GWR 850 Class dating back to 1874. The nominally Collett-designed 54xx had 5' 2" wheels for greater top speed with autocoaches, and were all fitted with the required remote control gear for working the push-pull autotrains. They had a a modern cab and larger bunker too. They were frequently seen on inner suburban routes from Paddington.

The class pioneer was not a new engine at all, rather it was a 1930 rebuild of 2021 tank 2080. It merely had substitute larger wheels and splashers and a larger bunker, whereas the new locos built from 1931 onwards had the rounded edge cab as well. This cab style was to be fitted to all subsequent GWR pannier tank designs including the later derivations of the 57xx. Despite its success, the prototype had a short life as number 5400, lasting only two years before scrapping. It was replaced with an all new engine with the same number.

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