GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line

Tyseley Shed: gwrt2409

Ex-GWR 4-6-0 68xx Class No 6840 passes Tyseley Junction Signal Box on the down relief line in the early 1960s. Built at Swindon works in September 1937, No 6840 was to remain in service until February 1965 when it was withdrawn from 87F Llanelly shed. The 68xx Class, were designed to handle mixed traffic and eighty of the class were built at Swindon works. The Class were derived from the GWR's locomotive standardisation policy pursued by George Churchward which envisaged a range of locomotive classes which would be suitable for the majority of duties, and yet which would share a small number of standard components. Amongst the designs suggested in 1901 was a 4-6-0 with 5 foot 8 inch diameter coupled wheels, and the Standard No 1 boiler. Although planned in 1901, none were built until 1936, by which time CB Collett was in charge at Swindon. He took the Churchward proposal, and modified the design of the cab and controls to the current style.

The 43xx Class of 2-6-0 tender locomotives had been introduced on the GWR in 1911, and by 1932 there were three hundred and fourty-two locomotives in service. Between 1936 and 1939, one hundred of these were taken out of service and replaced by new 4-6-0 locomotives, eighty being of the 68xx (or Grange) class, whilst the remaining twenty were of the 78xx (or Manor) Class. It had been intended to replace all of the 43xx Class in this way, but the Second World War stopped the programme. The 68xx Class were effectively a smaller wheeled version of the GWR Hall Class. In service they were reliable performers. With their power and mixed traffic characteristics they could handle most duties on the network. The class were often used for the haulage of perishable goods, such as fruit and broccoli, and for excursion trains.

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