Jump to content

GWR No. 36

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

GWR No. 36[1]
Works photo of No. 36
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerWilliam Dean
BuilderGWR Swindon Works
Order numberLot 106
Serial number1551
Build date1896
Total produced1
Specifications
Configuration:
 • Whyte4-6-0
Gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Leading dia.2 ft 8 in (0.813 m)
Driver dia.4 ft 7+12 in (1.410 m)
Fuel typecoal
Firebox:
 • Grate area35.4 sq ft (3.29 m2)
Boiler pressure165 psi (1.14 MPa)
Cylinderstwo
Cylinder size20 in × 24 in (508 mm × 610 mm)
Career
OperatorsGWR
Withdrawn1905

GWR No. 36 was a prototype 4-6-0 steam locomotive constructed at Swindon Works for the Great Western Railway in 1896, the first 4-6-0 ever built for the GWR and one of the first in Britain. It was designed by William Dean and le Fleming comments that "the design is unusual and entirely Dean of the later period, including the only large boiler ever built entirely to his ideas."[2]

Design

[edit]

No. 36 had double frames for the 4 ft 7+12 in (1.410 m) coupled wheels and an outside-frame bogie with 2 ft 8 in (0.813 m) wooden-centred wheels; cylinders were 20 in × 24 in (508 mm × 610 mm).[1] The long boiler and raised round-topped firebox create a harmonious impression, and the loco acquired the nickname "The Crocodile". Among its innovative features included the use of Serve tubes.

Use

[edit]

Designed for heavy freights from Newport to Swindon through the Severn Tunnel, it proved itself exceptionally capable, being able to haul trains that would otherwise be double-headed.[1] It was probably due to Dean's declining state of health and Churchward's increasing influence that the loco did little work away from Swindon, remained a prototype, and was withdrawn by Churchward in 1905 with the low mileage of 171,428.[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Holcroft (1957), p. 73.
  2. ^ le Fleming (1954), p. G38.
  3. ^ le Fleming (1954), pp. G38–G39.

Sources

[edit]
  • Allcock, N. J.; Davies, F. K.; le Fleming, H. M.; Maskelyne, J. N.; Reed, P. J. T.; Tabor, F. J. (1968) [1951]. White, D. E. (ed.). The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway, part one: Preliminary Survey. Kenilworth: RCTS.
  • le Fleming, H.M. (October 1954). White, D.E. (ed.). The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway, part seven: Dean's Larger Tender Engines. Kenilworth: RCTS. ISBN 0-901115-18-5.
  • Holcroft, Harold (1957). An Outline of Great Western Railway Locomotive Practice. London: Locomotive Publishing Co Ltd.