GWR 2800 CLASS

The Great Western Railway (GWR) '2800 Class' is a class of steam locomotive designed for heavy freight work. They were the first 2-8-0 class in Great Britain.
Designed by G.J. Churchward, the prototype, originally numbered 97 but later renumbered 2800, appeared in 1903. Construction of the production series commenced in 1905 and continued until 1919. The 2884 Class which appeared in 1938-1942 were developed from these and are sometimes classified with them.
The first No.97 was outshopped from Swindon as the prototype of the class. Initial results suggested that only the front end needed further development. Nevertheless the prototype undertook two years of trials before going into production.
Initially the boiler pressure of the 2-8-0 was set at 200lb/psi with 18in diameter cylinders. Tractive effort started out at 29,775lb but was increased substantially in the production engines. This followed the enlargement of the cylinder diameter to 18 1/2 inches. The raising of the steam pressure to 225lb/psi and the substitution of the 8 1/2 piston valves by ones of 10in.
The most visible difference between No.97 (later renumbered No.2800) and the first of the 1905 production batch was the higher pitch of the boiler (8ft 2in s opposed to 7ft 8 1/2in). At first the prototype was given a 4,000 gallon tender but almost without exception the 2800's were harnessed to the 3,500 gallon variety throughout there working lives. Super heating was incorporated into the class from 1909 with No.2808 the first to be retro fitted. Other ongoing modifications centred on improving the weight distribution, alternating smokebox lengths and fitting larger diameter chimneys.
The 84 2800's built by Churchward remained the GWR's principal long haul freight engines throughout the 1920's and 1930's. The only serous problem met with in traffic was with the sealing of the internal steam pipes. Beginning in 1934 most of the class had them replaced with the outside kind.
Between 1945 and 1947 coal shortages saw the GWR railway experimented with oil fired 28xx locomotives 20 of the 2800 class were converted. The experiment encouraged by the government was abandoned in 1948 once the extra maintenance costs were calculated and the bill had arrived for the imported oil. That year saw one of the 2800 No.3803 emerge remarkably successfully from trials against modern engines including the LMS 8F and the WD Austerity 2-8-0 and WD Austerity 2-10-0. It took the appearance in 1954 of the British Railways BR standard class 9F 2-10-0 to displace the 2800's from their main role of mineral haulage. Nevertheless there was still work for them right up to the end of steam on the Western region in 1965. Six decades of service testify to the fundamental excellence of Churchward's original conception.
They renumbered these locomotives as the 4800 Class, stripping the number from the autotanks, which in turn were reclassified as 1400 Class.

Contents

Preservation

External links

References

Preservation

Seven 2800 class survive, these being 2807, 2818, 2857, 2859, 2861, 2873, 2874, along with nine 2884 class.

★ No. 2807 Is being restored on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway

★ No. 2818 Is at the National Railway Museum

★ No. 2857 Is under going an overhaul on the Severn Valley Railway

★ No. 2859 Is on the Llangollen Railway

★ No. 2861 Is on the Vale of Glamorgan Railway

★ No. 2873 Is unrestored on the South Devon Railway

★ No. 2874 is being restored on the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway

External links

★ http://www.greatwestern.org.uk/m_in_280_2800.htm

★ Cotswold Steam Preservation Ltd. - Owners of No. 2807

★ The 2857 Society

★ 2818 Under restoration for the N.R.M. in 1966

★ Llangollen Railway GWR Locomotive Group website

★ Steam locomotives at Blaenavon

References

★ Classic British Steam locomotives