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GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton
GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line
Birmingham Snow Hill Station: gwrbsh1794
A double headed class K local freight passes
through Snow Hill Station on the Down Main Line in the 1920s. Great Western
Railway 43xx class 2-6-0 No 4358 leads an unidentified double framed 0-6-0PT
pannier tank of the 1076 (Buffalo) class. Most of the 266 locomotives of the
Buffalo class started life originally as saddle tank locomotives built between
1872 and 1881. With a few exceptions the whole class was rebuilt between 1911
and 1928 with large domed belpaire boilers and pannier tanks (1,000 gallon
capacity). The boiler operated at 165 lb providing a tractive effort at 85% of
17,525 lbs and classifying the locomotive in Power group A. The maximum axle
weight was 15 tons, 8 cwt, which allowed the locomotive to operate over almost
all lines (route colour Yellow).
Locomotive No 4358 was built in April 1914 at Swindon Works
as part of lot 198. The average cost of the locomotives in this lot was
£2,296 each. The 43xx class locomotives were fitted with a standard No 4
boiler with a pressure of 200 lb and a 14 tube / 84 element superheater. This
gave a tractive effort at 85% of 25,670 lbs and the locomotives were classified
in Power group D. As built the 43xx class locomotives had a maximum axle weight
of 18 tons, 4 cwt (17 tons empty) restricting them to main lines (route colour
- Red), but after 1917 they were modified by moving the fulcrum point of the
leading bogie forward, which reduced the maximum axle weight to 17 tons, 13 cwt
(16 tons, 8 cwt empty) allowing them to also operate over some branch lines
(route colour Blue). Modified locomotives bore a red K below
the number plate until the modification had been applied to the whole class.
The 43xx class proved to be an excellent mixed traffic locomotive and
eventually 342 locomotives were built. In 1934, No 4358 was known to have been
paired with Churchward 3,500 gallons tender No 2355 from lot A110 built in
1922. This tender could hold seven tons of coal. No 4358 had outside steam
pipes fitted in January 1944.
No 4358 was originally allocated to Laira shed (LA) in
Plymouth, but in January 1921 and May 1922 was known to have been allocated at
Southall shed (PADD). No 4358 was allocated to Oxley (OXY) between 1924 and
1926 was also known to have been allocated there in January 1934. In January
1938, the locomotive was known to have been allocated at Neyland shed (NEY) and
was also allocated there prior to nationalisation in December 1947. In March
1950, No 4358 was known to have been allocated at Horton Road shed (85B) in
Gloucester, from where the locomotive was withdrawn in the week ending 8th
August 1959. At withdrawal the total mileage of the locomotive was 1,406,215
miles. No 4358 was sold to John Cashmore Ltd of Newport in the week ending 27th
November 1959 and cut up in December of that year.
Behind the 43xx class locomotive on the Up main through line
is bogie well trolley wagon No 153215, which appears to be fitted with trestles
for carrying steel plate. This wagon is not from Great Western Railway stock
and is possibly of LNER (ex NER) origin.
Robert Ferris
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