GWR 7800 Class

GWR 7800 “Manor” Class

British Railways Class 78xx No. 7802 'Bradley Manor' at Kidderminster Town on the Severn Valley Railway

Type and origin Power type Steam Builder GWR/BR Swindon Works Order number Lot 316, Lot 377 Build date 1938–1939, 1950 Total produced 30

Specifications Configuration 4-6-0 UIC class 2'Ch2 Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Leading dia. 3 ft 0 in (914 mm) Driver dia. 5 ft 8 in (1,727 mm) Minimum curve 8 chains (528 ft; 161 m) normal, 7 chains (462 ft; 141 m) slow Wheelbase Loco: 27 ft 1 in (8.26 m) Loco & tender: 52 ft 1 3⁄4 in (15.89 m) Length 61 ft 9 1⁄4 in (18.83 m) Height 13 ft 0 in (3.962 m) Axle load 17 long tons 5 cwt (38,600 lb or 17.5 t) (19.3 short tons) Loco weight 68 long tons 18 cwt (154,300 lb or 70 t) (77.2 short tons) full Tender weight 40 long tons 0 cwt (89,600 lb or 40.6 t) (44.8 short tons) full Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 7 long tons 0 cwt (15,700 lb or 7.1 t) (7.8 short tons) Water cap 3,500 imp gal (16,000 l; 4,200 US gal) Firebox:  • Firegrate area 22.1 sq ft (2.05 m2) Boiler GWR type 14 Boiler pressure 225 psi (1.55 MPa) Heating surface:  • Tubes and flues 1,285.5 sq ft (119.43 m2)  • Firebox 140.0 sq ft (13.01 m2) Superheater: ​  • Heating area 160.0 sq ft (14.86 m2) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 18 in × 30 in (457 mm × 762 mm)

Performance figures Tractive effort 27,340 lbf (121.61 kN)

Career Operators Great Western Railway British Railways Class GWR: 7800 “Manor” Power class GWR: D BR: 5MT Number in class 30 Axle load class GWR: Blue Retired April 1963 – December 1965 Disposition 21 scrapped, 9 preserved

The Great Western Railway (GWR) 7800 Class or Manor Class is a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotive. They were designed as a lighter version of the GWR Grange Class, giving them a wider Route Availability. Like the 'Granges', the 'Manors' used parts from the GWR 4300 Class Moguls but just on the first batch of twenty. Twenty were built between 1938 and 1939, with British Railways adding a further 10 in 1950. They were named after Manors in the area covered by the Great Western Railway. Nine are preserved.

Although successful mixed traffic designs, neither the Hall nor the Grange 4-6-0 classes were able to cover the full range of duties previously undertaken by the 4300 Class 2-6-0 locomotives due to their ‘red’ weight classification. By the late 1930s a lighter version of the Grange class was urgently required for those cross-country and branch line duties forbidden to heavier locomotives. A new lighter (Swindon No.14) boiler was therefore designed, and as with the Grange Class, the driving wheels and motion components were recovered from withdrawn members of the 4300 Class. The Manor class, with an axle loading of just over 17 tons, could be utilised on many lines from which the heavier Granges were barred

The first of the Manors No.7800 Torquay Manor was built at Swindon Works and entered traffic in January 1938. By February 1939 twenty were in service but outbreak of war forced the cancellation of construction of a further batch of twenty locomotives. After nationalisation, the newly created Western Region of British Railways was authorised to build ten more of the class. Nos.7820-29 at Swindon in November and December 1950.