GWR 5400 Class

The Great Western Railway (GWR) 5400 Class is a class of 0-6-0 pannier tank steam locomotive. They were similar in appearance to many other GWR tank engines but smaller than the ubiquitous GWR 5700 Class.

GWR 5400 Class
A 5400 Class locomotive at Old Oak Common TMD
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Charles Collett Builder GWR Swindon Works Build date 1930–32, 1935[1] Total produced 25[1]
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-6-0PT Gauge 4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 5 ft 2 in (1.575 m)[1] Minimum curve 4 chains (264 ft; 80 m) normal 3.5 chains (231 ft; 70 m) slow[2] Wheelbase 14 ft 8 in (4.47 m)[3] Length Over buffers: 31 ft 1 in (9.47 m)[4] Width 8 ft 7 in (2.616 m)[4] Height 12 ft 6 ^3⁄16 in (3.815 m)[4] Frame type Type: Inside Length: 26 ft 5 in (8.05 m)[4] Axle load 15 long tons 12 cwt (34,900 lb or 15.9 t) (17.5 short tons)[3] Loco weight 46 long tons 12 cwt (104,400 lb or 47.3 t) (52.2 short tons) full[3] Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 3 long tons 4 cwt (7,200 lb or 3.3 t) (3.6 short tons)[3] Water cap 1,100 imp gal (5,000 l; 1,300 US gal)[3] Firebox:  • Firegrate area 16.76 sq ft (1.557 m^2)[3] Boiler Barrel: 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) Outside diameter: 4 ft 3 in (1.30 m) & 4 ft 2 ^1⁄8 in (1.273 m) Pitch: 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)[3] Boiler pressure 165 psi (1.14 MPa)[1] Heating surface 1,086.0 sq ft (100.89 m^2)[3]  • Tubes 1,004.2 sq ft (93.29 m^2)[3]  • Firebox 81.8 sq ft (7.60 m^2)[3] Cylinders two inside Cylinder size 16 ^1⁄2 in × 24 in (419 mm × 610 mm)[3] Train heating Steam from locomotive boiler Loco brake steam Train brakes vacuum Safety systems ATC[3]
Performance figures Tractive effort 14,780 lbf (65.7 kN)[3]
Career Operators Great Western Railway • British Railways Power class GWR: Ungrouped BR: 1P[3] Numbers 5400–24[3] Axle load class GWR: Yellow[3] Locale Western Region Withdrawn 1956–63[5] Disposition All scrapped

The nominally Collett-designed 5400 Class had 5 ft 2 in (1.575 m) driving wheels for greater top speed with autocoaches, and were all fitted with the required remote control gear for working the push-pull autotrains. They had a modern cab and a larger bunker. They were frequently seen on inner suburban routes from Paddington.

History

The 5400 class was related to the 2021 class saddle tank, designed by William Dean and built at Wolverhampton railway works. This was a light compact design with 4 ft 1 ¹⁄₂ in (1.257 m) wheels, itself derived from the smaller Armstrong GWR 850 Class dating from 1874.

The class pioneer was not a new engine at all, rather it was a 1930 rebuild of 2021 tank 2080. It merely had substitute larger wheels and splashers and a larger bunker, whereas the new locos built from 1931 onwards had the rounded-edge cab as well. This cab style was to be fitted to all subsequent GWR pannier tank designs including the later derivations of the 5700 Class.

Despite its success, the prototype had a short life as number 5400, lasting only two years before scrapping. It was replaced with an all-new engine with the same number. 25 locomotives were built and they were numbered 5400-5424.

Withdrawal and mileages

Withdrawal from service with BR started in 1957 and was completed in 1963.[5]

Withdrawal of 5400s from BR

Year	1956	1957	1958	1959	1960	1961	1962	1963
Numbers	1	7	3	5	3	1	2	3

le Fleming noted that the mileages of those withdrawn between February 1957 and February 1958 were "from 671,000 to 775,000".[3]

GWR 6400 and 7400 classes

6400 Class locomotive 6424 at Kidderminster in 1963

The GWR 6400 Class and 7400 Class that followed were closely related, fundamentally differing only in wheel size – 4 ft 7 ¹⁄₂ in (1.410 m) – and, in the case of the 74xx, a higher boiler pressure of 180 psi (1.2 MPa). This produced two general purpose classes with wide route availability. The 6400 was auto-fitted but more suitable for hilly routes than the 5400. The 7400 was not auto-fitted.

See also

• GWR 0-6-0PT – list of classes of GWR 0-6-0 pannier tank, including table of preserved locomotives

References

1. le Fleming 1958, p. E83.
2. le Fleming 1958, p. E77.
3. le Fleming 1958, p. E84.
4. Whitehurst 1973, p. 156.
5. Whitehurst 1973, p. 49.

Sources

• le Fleming, H.M. (April 1958). Part 5: Six-coupled Tank Engines. The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway. Oxford: RCTS. ISBN 0-901115-35-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Whitehurst, Brian (1973). Great Western Engines, Names, Numbers, Types and Classes (1940 to Preservation). Oxford, UK: Oxford Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-9028-8821-0. OCLC 815661.

External links

5400 Class

• "5400 Class Introduction". The Great Western Archive.

General

• Guide to GWR Pannier Tank Classes