GWR 6100 Class
Encyclopedia
The GWR 6100 Class is a class of prairie
GWR 2-6-2T
The GWR 2-6-2T was the mainstay of the Great Western Railway's suburban passenger services. Many classes were built and they were developed from one of George Jackson Churchward's pioneer designs – the experimental No 99...

 tank locomotives, designed by Charles Collett
Charles Collett
Charles Benjamin Collett was chief mechanical engineer of the Great Western Railway from 1922 to 1941. He designed the GWR's 4-6-0 Castle and King Class express passenger locomotives.-Career:...

, and of the 2-6-2
2-6-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels.Other equivalent classifications are:...

T arrangement.

They were introduced in 1931 and were a straightforward development of the earlier 5101 class
GWR 5101 Class
The GWR 5101 Class or Large Prairie was a class of 2-6-2T steam locomotives of the Great Western Railway. They were medium-sized tank engines used for suburban and local passenger services all over the Great Western Railway system...

 (and for that matter the 1905 3100 class
GWR 3100 Class
The Great Western Railway 3100 Class was a class of 2-6-2T side tank steam locomotive. This was developed from one of George Jackson Churchward's pioneer designs; the experimental No 99...

) with little more than an increased boiler pressure of 225 psi (1.6 MPa) to distinguish them from their ancestors.

There were seventy in the class, built in two batches in 1931–1933 and 1935. They were frequently referred to by trainspotters as 'Tanner One-ers'- being a reference to their '61xx' numbering sequence using colloquial terms for a sixpence and a penny.

Service

The class was specifically built for commuter services in the London area where they replaced the ageing 2221 class
GWR 2221 Class
The Great Western Railway 2221 Class or County Tank was a class of 4-4-2T steam locomotive, effectively a tank engine version of the 3800 "County" Class. Despite the obvious similarities, the two classes nevertheless had different boilers, standard no 4 for the tender locomotive, and the smaller ...

 on these services. They lasted to the end of steam on the Western Region of British Railways
Western Region of British Railways
The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...

 in 1965, never straying far from their home turf. Typical duties were Paddington to Aylesbury via High Wycombe, and from the same terminus to Oxford, Windsor, Reading and Basingstoke. They were mainly shedded at Old Oak Common, Southall, Slough, Reading and Aylesbury throughout their lives. In the early 1960s, the advent of the first generation diesel multiple units made them semi-redundant though generally far from worn out. Their last few years saw them on more menial duties, as in the adjacent photograph, until scrapping.

Preservation

One, 6106, has survived into preservation, and is at Didcot Railway Centre
Didcot Railway Centre
Didcot Railway Centre, located in the town of Didcot in the English county of Oxfordshire, is based around the site of a comprehensive "engine shed" which became redundant after the nationalisation of the UK railways, due to the gradual changeover from steam to diesel motive power.-Description:The...

, though currently non-operational.

Models

The erstwhile Kitmaster company produced an unpowered polystyrene injection moulded model kit for 00 gauge. In late 1962, the Kitmaster brand was sold by its parent company (Rosebud Dolls) to Airfix
Airfix
Airfix is a UK manufacturer of plastic scale model kits of aircraft and other subjects. In Britain, the name Airfix is synonymous with the hobby, a plastic model of this type is often simply referred to as "an airfix kit" even if made by another manufacturer....

, who transferred the moulding tools to their own factory; they re-introduced some of the former Kitmaster range, including this model. The tools were subsequently sold again to Dapol
Dapol
Dapol Ltd is a Welsh model railway manufacturer based in Chirk, Wales. The factory where design and manufacturing take place is just over the border in England.The Dapol trading name is known for its model railway products in N and OO gauges.-History:...

who have also produced this model.

Triang also produced a powered model of 6157 in TT scale

External links

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