GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line

Birmingham Snow Hill Station: gwrbsh1762

Great Western Railway 64xx class 0-6-0PT No 6422 on the Dudley Dodger auto-train in No 4 bay platform at Snow Hill station, in 1936. The ‘shirt-button’ monogram was introduced in 1934. The pannier locomotive is sandwiched between two auto-trailers and would be crewed by the fireman, while the driver operated the regulator and brake controls from the driving cab of the leading auto-trailer. This meant that the auto-train could operate in either direction, dispensing with the need for the locomotive to be ‘turned’ or even ‘run around’ at the terminus stations. The regulator control was operated via a mechanical rod linkage underneath a purpose built trailer coach, which could be connected to an adapted locomotive. The tolerances of this mechanical arrangement limited the maximum number of auto-trailers to two in the leading direction. In addition to his fire and boiler duties, the Fireman had the responsibility of re-establishing the brake's vacuum and operating the reversing gear. Communication was therefore necessary between him and the driver and an electric bell was provided. Specific instructions for working auto-trains were established and those from the 1936 General Appendix to the Rule Book can be found at here.

No 6422 was built in August 1935 at Swindon Works as part of lot 294. The 64xx class were all intended for auto-train work and fitted with the necessary adaptations. The dual partial control arrangements, meant that these adaptations included providing screw type reversing gear, as it was difficult to notch up a reversing lever when the regulator was open and there was steam pressure on the valves. No 6422 was also built with automatic train control (ATC). The 64xx class was almost identical to the 54xx class panniers which had been designed for the same purpose, but introduced three years earlier. The 64xx were however more powerful due to their smaller four foot, seven and a half inch wheel diameter. This increased the tractive effort, which at 85% was 16,510 lbs and classified the locomotives in power group A. The maximum axle weight was 15 tons, 13 cwt, allowing the locomotive to operate on nearly all lines (route colour – yellow). The pannier tank water capacity was 1,100 gallons and the bunker could hold 3 tons, 4 cwt of coal. No 6422 appears to have operated exclusively in the Wolverhampton Division, originally allocated to Stafford Road shed (SRD) in Wolverhampton and known to have been there in January 1938, prior to nationalisation in December 1947, and again in March 1959. Shortly after this auto-train services were replaced with Diesel Multiple units (DMUs) and No 6422 was withdrawn from Stourbridge shed (84F) in September 1962.

Robert Ferris

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