GWR 655 Class

Class 655 of the Great Western Railway was a class of 52 0-6-0ST locomotives designed by George Armstrong and built at the GWR's Wolverhampton Works.

GWR 655 Class
2701 outside Swindon Works, 1947
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerGeorge Armstrong
BuilderWolverhampton, GWR[1]
Order numberLots: A3, B3, E3[1]
Serial numberWorks Nos: 563–74, 575–94, 605–24[1]
Build date1892 (1892)–97[1]
Total produced52[1]
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte0-6-0ST[1]
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Driver dia.4 ft 6 in (1.372 m)[2]
Wheelbase7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) + 8 ft 4 in (2.54 m), total 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m)[2]
Frame type
  • Type: Inside
  • Length: 26 ft 6 in (8.08 m)[3]
Axle load
  • (1741) 13 long tons 18 cwt (31,100 lb or 14.1 t)
    14.1 t; 15.6 short tons full[2]
  • (2701) 14 long tons 6 cwt (32,000 lb or 14.5 t)
    14.5 t; 16.0 short tons full[2]
Loco weight
  • (1741) 41 long tons 4 cwt (92,300 lb or 41.9 t)
    41.9 t; 46.1 short tons full[2]
  • (2701) 42 long tons 5 cwt (94,600 lb or 42.9 t)
    42.9 t; 47.3 short tons full[2]
Fuel typeCoal
Water cap.1,000 imp gal (4,500 L; 1,200 US gal)[2]
Firebox:
 • Firegrate area		15.16 sq ft (1.408 m2)[2]
Boiler
  • Barrel: 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m)
  • Outside diameter: 4 ft 2 in (1.270 m)
  • Pitch: 6 ft 4+3⁄4 in (1.949 m)[2]
Boiler pressure140 lbf/in2 (0.97 MPa)[2]
Heating surface1,228 sq ft (114.1 m2)[2]
 • Tubes1,125 sq ft (104.5 m2)[2]
 • Firebox103 sq ft (9.6 m2)[2]
CylindersTwo, inside
Cylinder size
Loco brakeSteam[lower-alpha 1]
Performance figures
Tractive effort15,285 lbf (67.99 kN)[2]
Career
OperatorsGWR
ClassGWR 655
Numbers655, 767, 1741–50, 1771–90, 2701–20[1]
LocalePrimarily GWR Northern division[5]
Withdrawn1928 (1928)–50[6]

Design and construction

They were built in three lots between 1892 and 1897:

  • Nos. 655, 767 and 1741-1750 (Lot A3, 1892)
  • Nos. 1771-1790 (Lot B3, 1892-4)
  • Nos. 2701-2720 (Lot E3, 1896-7)

They were in effect a continuation of the 645 Class, with longer frames though using the same 4'6" wheels and 15'6" wheelbase, and they were the last of the larger type of tank engine to be built at Wolverhampton. Pannier tanks were later fitted to all of them, apart from No. 1772, between 1912 and 1930.

Use

They were nearly all Northern Division engines until the 1920s, though later Weymouth had as many as five. Withdrawal started in 1928, but 21 continued into British Railways ownership. Nos. 1782 and 2719 survived until November 1950.[7]

Notes
  1. Steam brakes with cast iron blocks became standard in the 1870s.[4]

References
  1. le Fleming 1958, p. E40.
  2. le Fleming 1958, p. E41.
  3. le Fleming 1958, p. E5.
  4. le Fleming 1958, p. E11.
  5. le Fleming 1958, p. E42.
  6. le Fleming 1958, pp. E42–E50.
  7. le Fleming 1958, pp. E33–E35.

Sources
  • le Fleming, H.M. (1958). The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway, part five: Six-coupled Tank Engines. Kenilworth: RCTS.
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