Pannier Tanks

Can anyone explain why the GWR built so many Pannier Tanks post 1923?

As far as I can see the Southern built no 0-6-0Tanks, the LNER bought some Austerities after WW2 for shunting duties. The LMS built 422 Jinties, some were used for passenger duties & 7 were auto fitted but the GWR built 863 57XX's to say nothing of other designs, some of which were specifically intended for passenger use.

So why did they persist with 0-6-0 Tanks when everyone else either didn't build any and the ones that were built for main line railways were largely intended for shunting?

 

The GW had more branch lines than the other railways, partly due to the Brunel practice of building a straight main line as far as possible serving any bypassed towns with a branch line. Additionally the main coal and steel producing area was in S Wales where much of the traffic was short distance, from the Valleys to the docks. The other possible reason is the GW practice of standardising on locos for particular tasks and then sticking with it. Locomotive development all but finished with Churchward and thereafter it was a just tinkering. The Halls were constructed over a period 1928 -1950 and they were basically a Saint with smaller wheels, Improved Stars otherwise known as Castles 1923 - 1950 and there are many other examples.

 

54/64xx served a specific purpose, auto train working. 57xx found to be a competent for numerous jobs across the GWR system, slight tweaks throughout its build history. The 15/16/94xx can best be described overkill!

 

the 94xx were largely built to replace absorbed Welsh locos due for scrapping. The 15xx were an outside cylinder version built for comparison. The 16xx were replacement for largely similar worn out earlier locos.

 

The GWR built many of these to replace many of the small classes from the South Wales companies it took over in 1923. Also replacing some of the very early ones which were built from at least 1879 as saddle tanks. So as they had already a blue print for a good general purpose engine they stuck to it. The 16XX worn't an overkill as they replaced the old 850 and 2021 classes which were the same power and some were 60 years old.

The LNER built a lot of the 0-6-2 T like the 112 N7 which pushed out the 0-6-0 T from the suburban work and these replaced the old 0-6-0 T which were scrapped, Thompson did talk about building some standard ones to replace many of the old ones with some modern classes. The SR did the same but used the EMU'S to push out the tank engines from the suburban which took over from older tank engines.

So the GWR were forward thinking as having fewer but bigger standard classes which is cheaper to run and maintain than a lot of small classes.

 

The purpose of building them is well known but why did they build so many?

 

I think that if you got into your time machine and went back to 1938 you would be surprised how many pre grouping locomotives were still around and how few modern locomotives there were - esp off the beaten track. The GW spent more money on replacing their small locomotives and a typical train on the GW would be more likely to have a newer (and more efficient) loco at the head of it. Even on express trains - we remember A4s and Duchesses - but that doesn't help if you live in Norwich or Leicester. Neither of those would have locos as efficient or powerful as those on expresses to Worcester. (I think one of the GWs many 60mph start to stop services was Moreton in Marsh to Oxford)

 

because they needed them. They were so good a loco that they covered a multitude of duties that other companies may have had half a dozen classes built for. You name it, a 57xx could do it more or less

Bear in mind the LNER couldn't afford to and the Southern were all out to electrify and had a surplus of tanks thus displaced.

 

At least that was the official reason. Some commentators have suggested that they placed a huge order on the eve of nationalisation, essentially to spite the new regime. I'm sure I have read somewhere that some spent lengthy periods in store before being released to traffic?

 

4f power rating on a 5700.

 

I meant the 9400/1600 built in numbers far in excess of what was needed

 

Remember the GWR took over 739+ engines from the Welsh railways so they needed a lot of standard engines to replace many of these engines so the 57XX and the new class 56XX did this so they needed a lot of these 0-6-0 PT for this as well as replacing their own old ones. So 863 to me wasn't over the top to have one nice standard class.

 

Have to say how fascinating it is how the J72's were built over such a long period of time, although saying that aren't the 57xx basically a Dean Goods without the tender?

 

Which is what I meant. 94xx being built even as diesels coming in.

 

I agree it's the 9400/1600 class that were a bad investment with diesel shutters coming on stream at the same time

 

The 850 and 2021 classes had 170 still in use in 1940 and the replacement 16xx was only 70 so wasn't excess for what needed.

 

they were overtaken by events as regards diesels, but these locos were not shunters. The 94xx were judged capable of taking over from pre grouping 0-6-2Ts which abounded. It wasn't until the advent of the class 37 (and falling traffic) that they were redundant on these duties.

 

devloped from 2721 class and others really. 2021 preceded the 16xx and were very similar

It should be borne in mind that the GWR built almost no panniers for decades before the 57xx and thus there were many older locos needing replacement.