GWR 56 Class
Encyclopedia
The 56 Class were 2-4-0 tender locomotives designed for the Great Western Railway
by Joseph Armstrong
and built at Swindon Works in 1871-2. There were 11 engines in the class, of which the prototype, No. 56 itself, was built in 1871; the remaining ten were numbered 717-726 and appeared the following year. They were larger and longer than Armstrong's 439
and 481
classes, and the original boilers were of the type used for his goods engines. The driving wheels were 6' in diameter.
Ahrons states that Nos. 56, 717, 719, 720 and 724 were allocated for 20 years to Weymouth, and that the rest were at Bordesley
for even longer, hauling trains to Chester and Hereford. All ran more than a million miles, and they disappeared between 1903 and 1919.
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
by Joseph Armstrong
Joseph Armstrong (engineer)
Joseph Armstrong was a British locomotive engineer and the second locomotive superintendent of the Great Western Railway...
and built at Swindon Works in 1871-2. There were 11 engines in the class, of which the prototype, No. 56 itself, was built in 1871; the remaining ten were numbered 717-726 and appeared the following year. They were larger and longer than Armstrong's 439
GWR 439 Class
The 439 Class, nicknamed the Bicycle class because of its unusual appearance, was a series of six 2-4-0 mixed-traffic engines designed by Joseph Armstrong for the Great Western Railway, and built at Swindon Works in 1868.-The locomotives:...
and 481
GWR 481 Class
The 481s were a class of 20 2-4-0 mixed-traffic locomotives designed for the Great Western Railway by Joseph Armstrong and built at Swindon Works in 1869. They were similar in size to the 439 Class but differed in appearance, thanks to the flowing lines of their outside frame. The class was...
classes, and the original boilers were of the type used for his goods engines. The driving wheels were 6' in diameter.
Ahrons states that Nos. 56, 717, 719, 720 and 724 were allocated for 20 years to Weymouth, and that the rest were at Bordesley
Bordesley railway station
Bordesley railway station is a small railway station serving the area of Bordesley in Birmingham, England. It is served by London Midland services between Birmingham Snow Hill and Stratford-upon-Avon and is located between Birmingham Moor Street and Small Heath stations.The platforms are above...
for even longer, hauling trains to Chester and Hereford. All ran more than a million miles, and they disappeared between 1903 and 1919.