GWR Large Prairie 5164
| GWR Large Prairie 5164 | |
|---|---|
.jpg) 5164 at Bridgnorth in 2005 | |
| Built By | GWR Swindon Works |
| Configuration | 2-6-2T |
| Power class | GWR: D, BR: 4MT |
| Axle load class | GWR: Blue |
| Status | Out of Service |
| Loco Number | 5164 |
| History | |
| Built | 1930 |
| Designed By | Charles Collett |
| Type | GWR 5101 |
| 1973 | Arrived on SVR |
| 1979 | Entered service on SVR |
| 2014 | Withdrawn for overhaul |
| Technical | |
| Length | 41ft |
| Weight | 78t 15cwt |
| Tractive effort | 24,300 lb |
| Pressure | 200 lb/sq in |
5164 is a GWR Collett 5101 class 2-6-2T 'Large Prairie'. These medium-sized tank engines were used all over the GWR network for suburban and local passenger and local freight services. A number of the class were allocated to Kidderminster and Shrewsbury sheds and were regularly used on the Severn Valley Railway in its declining years. The 5101 Class was an updated version by CB Collett of Churchward's 1903 3100/5100 Class. British Railways rated the class 4MT.
4150 is also a member of this class.
Contents
5164 in service
5164 was built at the GWR Swindon Works as part of Lot 259 at a cost of £4,220.[1] The locomotive entered service at Tyseley in November 1930.[2] It remained allocated to the Wolverhampton region until 1956, principally at Tyseley but also at Wolverhampton Stafford Road and Wellington. Duties included the haulage of local trains from Birmingham Snow Hill to Kidderminster and the SVR.[1] During its working life it was allocated to Tyseley 10 times, with the longest stay 3 years and the shortest 4 months.[3]
In August 1956, it was allocated to Newton Abbot, working local trains and also acting as a banker on the Dainton and Rattery Banks.[1] In July 1959, it had an overhaul at Swindon with boiler 5743 being fitted.[3]
In October 1961 it moved to Pontypool Road, from where on 4 April 1963 the loco was condemned with a slipping driving tyre.[3] It had amassed 67,447 miles from its last overhaul at Swindon and 811,367 miles in service.[4] It was sold to Barry Scrapyard on 9 October 1963 and moved the following month.[3]
5164 in preservation
By summer 1971, with a 5700 Pannier Tank and 4500 'Small Prairie' already secured for the SVR, purchase of a 'Large Prairie' was seen as the next logical step. A fund was established, organised by Mr. R.E. Sim, and No. 5164 was chosen as the best of the 10 'Large Prairies' at Barry. It was reserved for purchase 'with the usual help from Mr Woodham' while an appeal for fund raising took place.[5].
Purchase was successfully completed at a cost of £2,250.[1] The locomotive was officially the 30th to leave Barry,[6], arriving on the SVR on 6 January 1973 in the company of GWR 4930 Hagley Hall and GWR 7819 Hinton Manor.
The locomotive was formerly owned by the The 5164 Preservation Group. The transfer of ownership to The Erlestoke Manor Fund for a nominal sum was completed in November 2021.[7]
First boiler ticket
Restoration was completed in October 1979 when the locomotive entered service for the first time. Mileage recorded during the first boiler ticket was as follows:[8]
| Year | Mileage |
|---|---|
| 1979 | 510 |
| 1980 | 1,765 |
| 1981 | 4,451 |
| 1982 | 4,379 |
| 1983 | 3,291 |
| 1984 | 2,215 |
| Total | 16,611 |
Service ended in July 1984,[9] following which the locomotive appeared as a static exhibit at GWR 150. A heavy overhaul was deemed necessary including boiler crown stays and side stays and a full mechanical repair.[10]
Second boiler ticket
Following a lengthy period out of service, the overhaul was completed in time for 5164 to re-enter service in 2004. Mileage recorded in the following years was as follows (X indicates not recorded in SVR News):[11]
| Year | Mileage |
|---|---|
| B/fwd | 16,611 |
| 2004 | 8,138 |
| 2005 | X |
| 2006 | X |
| 2007 | X |
| 2008 | X |
| 2009 | X |
| 2010 | X |
| 2011 | X |
| 2012 | X |
| 2013 | 8,556 |
| Total | 92,447 |
5164 saw out a full “10 year ticket”, although by 2013 the locomotive was ‘sounding extremely tired and worn out at the front end’[12] and with valves ‘playing a tune unbecoming of a steam engine’.[13] Service ended in early January 2014.
Current status
5164 is now awaiting its next overhaul and is under cover on display at Barrow Hill Roundhouse Railway Centre, where it moved in March 2014[14][15].
Film and television
- A short clip of 5164 appeared in the Series 1 Episode 1 of the 2017 BBC drama series 'Decline and Fall'.
- The final episode of The Box Of Delights ends with a brief scene involving 5164 at Condicote.
See also
Steam Locomotives
SVR-based locomotives visiting other events
Classes of locomotives used on the Severn Valley Branch in commercial service
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 5164.org
- ↑ GWR Archive (Retrieved 28 January 2015).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 EMF Press Release issued 14 December 2021
- ↑ BRDatabase Retrieved 28 January 2015
- ↑ SVR News 20
- ↑ The Barry Story, Beckett & Hardingham, 2010
- ↑ EMF Newsletter no 78, November 2021
- ↑ SVR News 152 pp. 24-25
- ↑ SVR News 75 p. 19.
- ↑ SVR News 76 p. 16.
- ↑ SVR News 185 p. 12
- ↑ SVR News 183
- ↑ SVR News 184
- ↑ SVR-Online forum thread 'GWR 2-6-2T 5164' (Retrieved 14 February 2017)
- ↑ Barrow Hill Roundhouse (Retrieved 26 January 2020)
Links
5101 class on Wikipedia
Unofficial 5164 web site
Barrow Hill Roundhouse web site
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