6990 Witherslack Hall

6990 Witherslack Hall at Bridgnorth, March 2016

6990 Witherslack Hall is owned by The David Clarke Railway Trust (DCRT) and is based at the Great Central Railway.

The original GWR 4900 Hall Class, of which the SVR’s 4930 Hagley Hall is an example, was first built in the 1920s and the design remained largely unchanged until C.B. Collett retired in 1941. Frederick Hawksworth, his successor as CME, produced the 6959 Modified Hall class of which 71 were built between 1944 and 1950. Although visually similar to the earlier Halls, the modified version incorporated many changes including a re-design of the frames incorporating plate frames, cylinders cast separately from the smokebox saddle and bolted to the frames on each side, and increased superheating. Hawksworth also produced a re-designed tender with flat high sides, and a number of the Modified Halls were equipped with these.

On October 8, 2013, an exchange of tenders took place between the DCRT and the SVR. This exchange will allow Hagley Hall to run with the correct Collet style tender formerly used by Witherslack Hall, which will now use the more appropriate Hawksworth tender formerly used by Hagley Hall instead.

Witherslack Hall, complete with the Hawksworth tender, visited the SVR in March 2016. The locomotive was unfortunately unable to take part in the Spring Gala, having suffered a hot box during running trials after delivery. However the locomotive was repaired in time to work service trains over the following Easter weekend, and is pictured awaiting ‘right away’ at Bridgnorth on Good Friday afternoon. It also worked service trains on a further two weekends.

See also

Steam Locomotives visiting the SVR for galas

Links

GWR 6959 Class on Wikipedia