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GWR Route: The North Warwickshire Line

GWR Route: Stratford on Avon to Hatton

Stratford on Avon Station: gwrsa2626

Ex-GWR 2-8-0T No 5205, first of the class, approaches Stratford upon Avon at the head of an iron ore train from Banbury during August 1962

Ex-GWR 2-8-0T No 5205, first of the class, approaches Stratford upon Avon at the head of an iron ore train from Banbury during August 1962. Whilst the photographer recorded the train as being an iron ore train Robert Ferris states 'the Lamp Headcode is class 7 (prior to 1960 class F) which is Express freight, livestock, perishable or ballast train not fitted with automatic brake. This would suggest that this is a ballast train, because the wagons have low sides. They are certainly not the high sided hoppers normally used for iron ore. Compare how high they are with the locomotive bunker and then take a look at the height of typical iron ore hoppers as seen in image 'gwrhb2213.htm'. A close-up of the photograph reveals multiple metal door stops indicating either, drop doors or in the case of ballast wagons drop sides. The typical GWR ballast wagon can be seen in image 'gwrl2498.htm', but this is a 10 ton tiddler (actual codename was 'Starfish'). BR standardised on the larger 20 ton version (codename 'Grampus') diagram 1/572 comprised 4,059 in 23 lots between 1951 and 1959 and these were followed by a further 722 with hydraulic buffers to diagram 1/574 in three lots between 1958 and 1961'. At the time the photograph was taken No 5205 had been allocated to Worcester shed for approximately eighteen months. Built by Swindon works in June 1923, No 5205 was to remain in service until December 1963 when it was withdrawn from 85A Worcester shed.

The photograph is available from Colour Rail.

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