The Ugliest Loco? Ex-SVR Loco Newsy News / discussions

in respect of the GWR 94XX class,

these were never used on coal trains up and down the south wales valleys, this being the preserve of the 56XX class and the few absorbed 0-6-2T locos that survived from the Rhymney and Taff Vale Railway etc. no 94XX was ever shedded at Merthyr, Rhymney, Treherbert.

braking on the south wales Valleys Lines was always problematic on the loose fitted coal trains going down the valleys, with numerous local notices and rules. it was what can best be described as a 'controlled slide' even with a 56XX, and taxed the crews to the limit.

apart from the No.10 boiler, the 94XX class was an archaic design with slide valves worked by top suspended loco links. although the 56XX also looked 'ungainly' they had piston valves and modern valve gear.

cheers,
julian

 

Not really a new design...just a 57xx with a taper boiler really and the 57xx was closely based on an earlier class too.

The real nail in their coffin was the general contraction of the rail system, introduction of DMU's and the switch to road transport. That they were in some cases outlived by 57xx is down to their RA I guess, but bear in mind 57xx panniers were still being built quite late on

 

Smaller boiler, no trailing axle etc... And it was principally a kit of parts design with boiler, cylinders and motion all from existing designs.
The 56s weren't perfect either, AIUI they were a bit marginal on driving wheel bearings, hence experiments with Stroudley balancing, which in turn, it seems, could cause excessive fore and aft oscillation in the train. Its interesting that the 56 wasn't repeated after the original batches. If they were liked then as you say they'd be an obvious replacement for the pre grouping 0-6-2s. I wonder if appropriate board minutes survive on these decisions.

> Jack of all trades: master of none?
Quite probably, but isn't that a good definition of a mixed traffic locomotive?

Few would argue that the last days of steam and early days of diesel represent some of the finer moments of industrial planning in Great Britain! And with hindsight for sure they should have been ordering further railcars for the welsh commutter traffic, not steam engines. And yes, the last 40 8750s and 6750s all postdate the first 94s, athough you could argue that the non vac braked 6750s were for a separate task.

But I maintain that to understand why locos were built you have to look at what was withdrawn at the same time. The last of the *large* (4'8 wheel) pregroup GWR panniers, 2721s and 1854s, all went in the 1945-1950 period, when Swindon was building a large number of 8750s. The last of the *small* (4'1 wheel) pregroup panniers, 850s and 2021s, went later in the 1950s, at the same time that the 1600s were being built.

Therefore the 94s must have been built to replace other locos, not pre grouping 0-6-0T, and when you look at the numbers it must be the larger absorbed tank engines.

 

hi jim,

by 1947 there were very few absorbed 0-6-2T locos left from the Rhymney and Taff Vale etc. the 94XX was never intended to replace these locos or to replace the 56XX class. i have read the GWR Board minutes for the years leading up to nationalisation and there is no clue as to why such a large number of 94XXs were ordered from outside contractors just before nationalisation, and this decision has puzzled the experts for many years especially as steel was still in short supply and required special approval. perhaps we shall never know!

cheers,
julian

 

I don't think you are correct. These are totals of 0-6-2 and 0-6-4 tanks withdrawn each year from the major absorbed lines - extracted from John Daniel's Great Western Archive web site here: http://www.greatwestern.org.uk/absorbed.htm, which in turn seems to be ex RCTS data.

1922 Count 2
1923 Count 2
1924 Count 1
(before 5600 total 5, 1.3 p.a.)
1925 Count 24
1926 Count 39
1927 Count 24
1928 Count 37
[whilst 5600s being built 124, 31 p.a.]
1929 Count 4
1930 Count 11
1931 Count 12
1932 Count 23
1933 Count 1
1934 Count 17
1935 Count 1
1936 Count 3
1937 Count 3
1938 Count 4
1939 Count 2
1945 Count 4
[between 5600 and 9400 - 57, 4.8 p.a]
1947 Count 8
1948 Count 19
1949 Count 21
1950 Count 15
1951 Count 19
1952 Count 13
1953 Count 12
1954 Count 13
1955 Count 26
1956 Count 29
1957 Count 19
[whilst 9400 being built =194, 17.6 p.a. ]

 

pretty exact correlation there.