GWR 7200 Class

The Great Western Railway (GWR) 7200 Class is a class of 2-8-2T steam locomotive. They were the only 2-8-2Ts built and used by a British railway,[1] and the largest tank engines to run on the Great Western Railway.[1]

GWR 7200 Class
7248 is a converted 42xx class no.4249, rebuilt with a 5205 front end. 7248 is seen here fitted with the 'Coal Scuttle' Bunker.
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerCharles Collett (rebuild)
RebuilderGWR Swindon Works
Rebuild dateJuly 1934–December 1939
Number rebuilt54
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte2-8-2T
 • UIC1'D1' h2t
Gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Leading dia.3 ft 2 in (0.965 m)
Driver dia.4 ft 7 1⁄2 in (1.410 m)
Trailing dia.3 ft 8 in (1.12 m)
Length44 ft 10 in (13.67 m)
Loco weight92 long tons 12 cwt (207,400 lb or 94.1 t) (103.7 short tons)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity6 long tons 0 cwt (13,400 lb or 6.1 t) (6.7 short tons)
Water cap2,400 imp gal (11,000 l; 2,900 US gal) 2,700 imp gal with 'Coal Scuttle' bunker.
Firebox:
 • Firegrate area		20.56 sq ft (1.910 m2)
Boiler pressure200 lbf/in2 (1.38 MPa)
Heating surface:
 • Tubes and flues		1,349.64 sq ft (125.386 m2)
 • Firebox128.72 sq ft (11.958 m2)
Superheater:
​
 • Heating area191.79 sq ft (17.818 m2)
CylindersTwo, outside
Cylinder size19 in × 30 in (483 mm × 762 mm)
Valve gearStephenson
Valve typepiston valves
Performance figures
Tractive effort33,170 lbf (147.5 kN)
Career
OperatorsGWR » BR
Class7200
Power classGWR: E
BR: 8F
Number in class30
Axle load classRed
Withdrawn1962 – 1965
DispositionThree under restoration, remainder scrapped

Rebuild and operation

Originally the 4200 class and 5205 class 2-8-0T were introduced for short-haul Welsh coal traffic, but the Stock Market Crash of 1929 saw coal traffic dramatically fall. Built specifically for the short runs of heavy trains in the South Wales Coalfield, Charles Collett took the agreed decision to rebuild some of them with an extended coal carrying capacity and thus greater range and usefulness by adding 4 feet (1.22 m) to the frames, requiring the addition of a trailing wheel set, making them 2-8-2T.[2]

With the work carried out at Swindon Works, the first to be converted was 5275 (lot 266), which returned to traffic numbered 7200 in August 1934. An official photograph of the prototype was taken on 27 July 1934 at the usual site outside 'A Shop' for engine pictures. Nos. 5276–94 were similarly rebuilt between August and November 1934, becoming 7201–19, and nos. 7220–39 were rebuilt from 5255–74 between August 1935 and February 1936; with both batches, the rebuilding was not in numerical order, but the new numbers were in the same sequence as the old. Nos. 7240–53, rebuilt August 1937–December 1939, were selected at random from locomotives numbered in the 4200 series.[3]

ClassOriginalRebuiltRebuild date
5205 52757200 August 1934
52767201 August–November 1934
52777202
52787203
52797204
52807205
52817206
52827207
52837208
52847209
52857210
52867211
52877212
52887213
52897214
52907215
52917216
52927217
52937218
52947219
52557220 August 1935–February 1936
52567221
52577222
52587223
52597224
52607225
52617226
52627227
52637228
52647229
52657230
52667231
52677232
52687233
52697234
52707235
52717236
52727237
52737238
52747239
4200[4] 42397240 August 1937–December 1939
42207241
42027242
42047243
42167244
42057245
42347246
42447247
42497248
42097249
42197250
42407251
42107252
42457253

The final batch of the class were later fitted with newly developed 'Coal Scuttle' bunkers. These bunkers consisted of a higher rivet line increasing the water capacity up to a total of 2,700 gallons allowing the locos to travel longer distances. The bunker was also designed to facilitate the movement of the coal towards the hatch in the cab, however ‘scuttle bunkers’ would only carry 5 tonnes of coal instead of 6. No.7200 is the only surviving loco of the class to carry one of these unique bunkers.

The 54 rebuilt locos found work in most parts of the GWR system, where their great weight 92 long tons 12 cwt (207,400 lb or 94.1 t) was allowed, although the rebuilt chassis length did get them banned from certain goods yards. Many found work in the home counties, deployed on iron ore and stone trains from Banbury.[5]

On 17 May 1941 no. 7238 ran into a bomb crater.[6]

Withdrawal

The first member of the class to be withdrawn was number 7241 in November 1962, whilst the last four engines in traffic served until June 1965. Four of the class were bought by Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, and no. 7226 was scrapped there in 1965.[1]

No. 7221, a converted 5205

Preservation

Three locomotives survive, all recovered from Woodham Brothers, though none have yet been returned to operational condition. However, in November of 2020, the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre announced that a major milestone was reached with No. 7200.[7]

Current Number Year Built Withdrawn Location Status Photograph Notes
7200 Jul 1926 Jul 1963 Buckinghamshire Railway Centre Under Restoration Left Woodham Brothers, Barry Island in September 1981. 7200 is unique in that it is the only surviving locomotive of the class fitted with the 'coal scuttle' bunker which enabled it to have a greater water carrying capacity than the rest of the class with 'converted' bunkers. On 12 December 2006, the restored rolling chassis of 7200 left the former iron foundry (J Shop) which made the loco the last Great Western locomotive to receive attention at the historic Swindon Works. Restoration is slow and ongoing but has made good progress in recent years.
7202 Aug 1926 Jun 1964 Didcot Railway Centre Under Restoration Left Barry Island in April 1974.
7229 Mar 1926 Aug 1964 East Lancashire Railway Under Restoration Left Barry Island in October 1984.

Models

In 2012, Hornby released models of the 7200 class in both the original GWR green and BR black. [8]

7203, a converted 5275

See also

References
  1. Whitehurst, Brian (1973). Great Western Engines, Names, Numbers, Types and Classes (1940 to Preservation). Oxford, UK: Oxford Publishing Company. pp. 65–66, 103. ISBN 978-0-9028-8821-0. OCLC 815661.
  2. "7202 - 2-8-2T". Didcot Railway Centre.
  3. le Fleming, H.M. (February 1962). White, D.E. (ed.). The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway, part nine: Standard Two-Cylinder Classes. RCTS. pp. J45–J46.
  4. "GWR Churchward "42xx" Class 2-8-0T". BR Database.
  5. Quainton Railway Society. "GWR 72XX Class 2-8-2T No. 7200". Buckinghamshire Railway Centre.
  6. "GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton". WarwickshireRailways.com. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  7. Holden, Michael. "Milestone reached in overhaul of steam locomotive 7200". Rail Advent. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  8. "National Model Rail Database". National Model Rail. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
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