GWR 5205 Class

The Great Western Railway (GWR) 5205 Class is a class of 2-8-0T steam locomotives.

GWR 5205 Class
5205 Class locomotive at Swindon Works fresh from repair
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Charles Collett Builder GWR Swindon Works Build date 1923–1940 Total produced 100
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-8-0T Gauge 4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 4 ft 7 ^1⁄2 in (1,410 mm) Loco weight 82 long tons 2 cwt (183,900 lb or 83.4 t) (92.0 short tons) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 4 long tons 0 cwt (9,000 lb or 4.1 t) (4.5 short tons) Water cap 1,800 imp gal (8,200 l; 2,200 US gal) Boiler pressure 200 psi (1,400 kPa) Cylinders two outside Cylinder size 19 in × 30 in (483 mm × 762 mm)
Performance figures Tractive effort 33,170 lbf (147.5 kN)
Career Operators Great Western Railway, British Railways Power class GWR: E BR: 8F Numbers 5205–94, 5255–64 (numbers used twice) Axle load class GWR: Red Withdrawn 5275–94: 1934 5255–64 (1st), 5265–74: 1935–36 5205–54, 5255–64 (2nd): 1961–1965 Disposition 40 rebuilt as 7200 Class; 3 preserved; remainder scrapped

History

5205 Class

They were designed for short-haul coal trips[1] from coal mines to ports in South Wales. They were based on the 4200 Class which had been introduced by the Great Western Railway in 1910. The 5205 series were of the same general design and 70 of the 5205 class were built, 5205-5274. They retained the straight frames of the 4200s, but had outside steam pipes and 19" diameter cylinders so were slightly more powerful than their predecessors.[1]

Twenty 5205s, 5255-5274 were converted to the 7200 Class in 1934/6.[1]

5275 Class

Twenty more locomotives to the same general design were built from 1930. This series had curved frames at the front with a raised section of frame over cylinders which were of the same size as the 5205 series. These were 5275 to 5294. These were all rebuilt as 7200 Class in 1934 without seeing significant use. Ten more, 5255-5264 were built in 1940, reusing numbers from 5205 class members which had also been rebuilt as 7200 Class.[1]

Preservation

Three examples of the 5205 class have been preserved with two of them 5224 and 5239 having run in preservation. No members of the 5275 class have been preserved in their original form, but two survive in rebuilt form in the 7200 class.

Number	Year Built	Withdrawn	Location	Status	Notes
5224	1924	1963	Peak Rail	In store	Left Woodham Brothers, Barry Island in October 1978. Now owned by Pete Waterman, stored at Peak Rail. Has a 5275 style front end, curved foot plate and a raised section over the cylinders.Returned in 2000 and withdrawn in 2011 she is now in store awaiting overhaul to working condition.
5227	1924	1962	Didcot Railway Centre.[2]	Scrapyard condition	One of the "Barry Ten". Axleboxes being used as part of the 4709 project. Retains straight frames.
5239	1924	1963	East Somerset Railway[3]	Operational	Left Barry Island in June 1973.[4] Has 5275 front end, curved foot plate and a raised section over the cylinders. Overhauled at the East Somerset Railway for the Dartmouth Steam Railway, due to return there at the end of March 2020.

Models

In 2012, Hornby released models of the 5205 class in both BR black and GWR green. [5]

References

1. le Fleming, H.M. (February 1962). White, D.E. (ed.). The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway, part nine: Standard Two-Cylinder Classes. RCTS. p. J38-J42.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
2. "Didcot Railway Centre : Centre Guide: Locomotives : 5227". Retrieved 23 November 2013.
3. "Dartmouth Steam Railway & River Boat Company : Our Locomotives". Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
4. "The Story of Barry Scrapyard - Saved GWR Locomotives". Retrieved 23 November 2013.
5. "Model Rail Database". Model Rail Database. Retrieved 13 September 2015.