GWR 5600 Class

Great Western Railway 5600 class

No. 6606 at Swindon in 1963

Type and origin Power type Steam Builder GWR Swindon Works (150); Armstrong Whitworth (50) Build date 1924–1928 Total produced 200

Specifications Configuration 0-6-2T UIC class C1'ht Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 4 ft 7 1⁄2 in (1.410 m) Trailing dia. 3 ft 8 in (1.118 m) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 3.75 long tons (3.81 t; 4.20 short tons) Water cap 1,900 imp gal (8,600 l; 2,300 US gal) Boiler pressure 200 psi (1.38 MPa) Superheater Yes Cylinders Two, inside Cylinder size 18 in × 26 in (457 mm × 660 mm) Valve gear Stephenson's Valve type piston valves

Performance figures Tractive effort 25,800 lbf (115 kN)

Career Operators Great Western Railway; British Railways Class 5600 Power class GWR: D BR: 5MT Numbers 5600–5699, 6600–6699 Axle load class Red Withdrawn 1962–1965 Disposition 9 preserved, remainder scrapped

The GWR 5600 Class is a class of 0-6-2T steam locomotive built between 1924 and 1928. They were designed by C.B Collett for the Great Western Railway (GWR), and were introduced into traffic in 1924. After the 1923 grouping, Swindon inherited a large and variable collection of locomotives from historic Welsh railway companies, which did not fit into their standardisation programme. GWR boiler inspectors arrived en masse and condemned many of the original locomotives. The systematic destruction of many examples of locomotives, most still in serviceable condition, followed. Of the Taff Vale Railway, many engines continued to operate up to the 1950s, but today only two locomotives survived, TVR 'O1' No.28, the last-surviving Welsh-built engine, and TVR 'O2' No.85.

Two hundred GWR 5600 class replacement locomotives were built and remained in service until withdrawn by British Railways between 1962 and 1965. Nine of the class have survived into preservation.

The railways of South Wales seem to have had a particular liking for the 0-6-2T type. This was because the nature of the work they undertook demanded high adhesive weight, plenty of power with good braking ability, but no need for outright speed, nor large tanks or bunker as the distances from pit to port were short. The 0-6-2 configuration was discovered to confidently handle the sharp curves so prevalent in the area. These Welsh locomotives were taken over by the GWR at The Grouping in 1923 and some were rebuilt with GWR taper boilers. A number of them passed into British Railways (BR) ownership in 1948, including (with some gaps in numbering):

For further information on these pre-grouping locomotives see Locomotives of the Great Western Railway.