GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line

Birmingham Snow Hill - British Railways Period Locomotives: gwrbsh2489

Great Western Railway 2-6-0 43xx class No 5370 with a down freight passes through the centre of Snow Hill Station on the main road on Saturday 5th June 1937. The single red lamp on the left of the buffer beam indicates that this is a class K train. This class of trains might require intermediate stops within a section. Locomotive No 5370 was completed on 10th June 1919 at Swindon Works as part of lot 208 with the average cost of the locomotives in this lot recorded as £4,582. These were part of a very successful class of mixed traffic locomotives designed by Chief Mechanical Engineer George Churchward and introduced in 1911. Unsurprisingly the 43xx class had all the typical Great Western Railway features of the period; tapered domeless boiler, belpaire firebox, drumhead smokebox, superheating, topfeed combined with safety valve bonnet and graceful curved drop ends. No 5370 was turned out in unlined green with brass features painted over in deference to the period of austerity brought about by the world war. The war also increased the demand for freight engines, both at home and abroad, with eleven 43xx class locomotives supplied to the Railway Operating Division and shipped to France in 1917 for use on the Western Front. These were returned by the end of 1919, at which point the class contained 180 locomotives. With the usefulness proven, construction continued apace and by 1932 the class contained a total of 342 locomotives.

The 43xx class locomotives were fitted with standard No 4 boilers operating at a pressure of 200 lb, which produced a tractive effort, at 85% of 25,670 lbs, classifying the locomotive in power group D. The maximum axle weight was originally 18 tons, 4 cwt, but in 1917 this was reduced to 17 tons, 13 cwt by moving forward the pony truck fulcrum. Those locomotives modified were marked with a red ‘K’ on the cab side until all the class had been completed. The axle weight limited the locomotives to main lines and some branch lines – route colour Blue. Over time minor modifications changed the locomotive's appearance; after 1926, shorter safety valve bonnets were gradually introduced and after 1928, when new cylinders were required on older locomotives, a new pattern with outside steam pipes were fitted. These assisted maintenance by improving access to the boiler tubes. By April 1932 all the 43xx class had received Automatic Train Control (ATC) and in the photograph the detector can be seen on No 5370 between the front pony truck wheels. It is not known when the shorter safety valve bonnet was fitted to No 5370, but this locomotive received new cylinders with outside steam pipes in March 1945.

No 5370 was initially allocated to Chester shed (CHR) and was also known to have been allocated there in January 1921. At the Grouping in May 1922, No 5370 was recorded at Banbury shed (BAN) and in January 1934 was known to have been allocated to Oxley shed (OXY) outside Wolverhampton. In January 1938, No 5370 was known to have been allocated to Tyseley shed (TYS), was there in December 1947 just prior to nationalisation and was also known to have been allocated there in both August 1950 and March 1959. No 5370 was withdrawn from Llanelly shed (87F) in week ending 16th September 1960 having completed 1,213,420 miles. The locomotive was recorded as being cut up at Swindon on 29th October 1960.

The 43xx class locomotives were normally paired with standard Churchward tenders of 3,500 gallon water capacity and which could hold 7 tons of coal. They were fitted with a water scoop arrangement for replenishing the tank from water troughs like those at Rowington. In 1934 No 5370 was known to be paired with tender No 1821. This was a 3,500 gallon standard Churchward tender built in December 1911 under lot A82.

Robert Ferris

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