GWR 2721 Class
The GWR 2721 Class was a class of steam locomotives. They were designed by William Dean and built at the Swindon Works of the Great Western Railway between 1897 and 1901.
Design
They were not a new design, being a straightforward development of the 120-strong GWR [1854 Class|1854 Class] dating back to 1890. This lineage had begun with George Armstrong's 645 Class in 1872 and continued via the 1813 Class, the 1854 Class, and finally ended in 1948 with the GWR 9400 Class. The differences over 76 years were undeniably a gradual evolution, with increases in boiler pressure and heating surface the more important, enclosed cabs and larger bunkers cosmetic but functional. The biggest change was the fitting of a Belpaire firebox necessitating a pair of pannier tanks, as the square-topped firebox is not compatible with a curved saddle tank.Highlighting the gradual nature of the changes are the subtle differences between the 1854 and 2721 classes, confined to a small increase in wheel size by, fluted rods and coil springs all round, at least when new. When later rebuilt with pannier tanks they were the direct predecessors of the GWR 5700 Class of 1929. No. 2756 was sold to the Rhondda And Swansea Bay Railway, becoming their No. 33. It regained its old number when the R&SBR was absorbed by the Great Western in 1922.