GWR Route: The North Warwickshire Line

GWR Route: Stratford on Avon to Hatton

Stratford on Avon Station: gwrsa3279

Ex-GWR 2-6-2T No 4571 is seen standing at Platform 3 with a Class G working on 1st June 1957. The photograph was thought to have been showing the 45xx class locomotive on a Leamington to Worcester working. However the single headlamp on the centre of the bufferbeam denotes its a Class G working which was categorised by British Railways (and its various predecessors) as being a 'Light engine, or light engines coupled together. Engine with one or two brakes'. Peter Sausins writes, 'It was not unusual for a Class B stopping train to use the above headcode as it meant the fireman did not have to climb up on the firebox step to put the lamp on the top lamp bracket'. Pete Nicholls also writes, 'GWR code for stopping passenger was one in the middle and not all crews adopted the BR code of one on the smokebox esp at smaller depots , this may well have been a Tyseley loco outstationed at its sub shed of Stratford on Avon'. At the time of the photograph, No 4571 was allocated to 85A Worcester shed and had been since February 1953. Built by Swindon works in November 1924, No 4571 was to remain in service until March 1961 when it was withdrawn from 83G Penzance shed to be scrapped.

This is a black and white reproduction of a colour slide too degraded to be restored. Colour images saved by Phillip Williams are available in 'TE Williams The Lost Colour Collection Volume 1' ISBN 978-1-911262-04-6 Irwell Press Limited.

back