GWR 7200 Class


The Great Western Railway 7200 Class is a class of 2-8-2T steam locomotive. They were the only 2-8-2Ts built and used by a British railway, and the largest tank engines to run on the Great Western Railway.

Rebuild and operation

Originally, the 4200 class and 5205 class 2-8-0T were introduced for short-haul Welsh coal traffic, but the stock market crash of 1929 saw coal traffic dramatically fall. Built specifically for the short runs of heavy trains in the South Wales Coalfield, Charles Collett chose to rebuild some of them with extended coal bunkers by adding to the frames, requiring a trailing axle making them 2-8-2T.
Rebuilt at Swindon Works, the first to be converted was 5275 which returned to traffic numbered 7200 in August 1934. A photograph of the prototype was taken on 27 July 1934 outside Swindon Works 'A Shop'. Nos. 5276–5294 were similarly rebuilt between August and November 1934, becoming 7201–7219, and Nos. 7220–7239 were rebuilt from 5255 to 5274 between August 1935 and February 1936; with both batches, the rebuilding was not in numerical order, but the new numbers were in the same sequence as the old. The 5205s had flat running boards to set them apart from the 5275s. Nos. 7240–7253, rebuilt August 1937–December 1939, were selected at random from locomotives numbered in the 4200 series, them all gaining 5275-styled running boards and cylinders. This last batch of conversions had been authorised on Lot 318.
ClassOriginalRebuiltRebuild date
520552757200August 1934
520552767201August–November 1934
520552777202August–November 1934
520552787203August–November 1934
520552797204August–November 1934
520552807205August–November 1934
520552817206August–November 1934
520552827207August–November 1934
520552837208August–November 1934
520552847209August–November 1934
520552857210August–November 1934
520552867211August–November 1934
520552877212August–November 1934
520552887213August–November 1934
520552897214August–November 1934
520552907215August–November 1934
520552917216August–November 1934
520552927217August–November 1934
520552937218August–November 1934
520552947219August–November 1934
520552557220August 1935–February 1936
520552567221August 1935–February 1936
520552577222August 1935–February 1936
520552587223August 1935–February 1936
520552597224August 1935–February 1936
520552607225August 1935–February 1936
520552617226August 1935–February 1936
520552627227August 1935–February 1936
520552637228August 1935–February 1936
520552647229August 1935–February 1936
520552657230August 1935–February 1936
520552667231August 1935–February 1936
520552677232August 1935–February 1936
520552687233August 1935–February 1936
520552697234August 1935–February 1936
520552707235August 1935–February 1936
520552717236August 1935–February 1936
520552727237August 1935–February 1936
520552737238August 1935–February 1936
520552747239August 1935–February 1936
420042397240August 1937–December 1939
420042207241August 1937–December 1939
420042027242August 1937–December 1939
420042047243August 1937–December 1939
420042167244August 1937–December 1939
420042057245August 1937–December 1939
420042347246August 1937–December 1939
420042447247August 1937–December 1939
420042497248August 1937–December 1939
420042097249August 1937–December 1939
420042197250August 1937–December 1939
420042407251August 1937–December 1939
420042107252August 1937–December 1939
420042457253August 1937–December 1939

In 1937 the "scuttle" bunkers were fitted to the final fourteen of 42xx rebuilds. This bunker modification consisted of a higher rivet line increasing the class's water capacity by an extra 200/300 gallons however reducing the coal capacity by 1 ton. These new bunkers were later fitted to a random handful of the class outside this batch including No. 7200, No. 7201, No. 7210 and No. 7239 during their heavy overhauls. No. 7200 is the only surviving loco of its class to have this unique feature.
The 54 rebuilt locos found work in most parts of the GWR system, where their weight was allowed, although the rebuilt chassis length did get them banned from certain goods yards. Many found work in the home counties, deployed on iron ore and stone trains from Banbury. Many would find work in South Wales on coal traffic after WWII, especially when British Railways was formed, with 2884 and Standard 9F class engines taking over for them.
On 17 May 1941 No. 7238 ran into a bomb crater at Budbrook, near Hatton on the Banbury to Wolverhampton line.

Withdrawal

The first member of the class to be withdrawn was number 7241 in November 1962, whilst the last four engines in traffic served until June 1965. Four of the class were bought by Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, and No. 7226 was scrapped there in 1965.

Preservation

Three locomotives survive, all recovered from Woodham Brothers, though none have yet been returned to operational condition. However, in November 2020, the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre announced that a major milestone was reached with No. 7200.
Both No. 7200 and No. 7202 have reached the final stages of overhaul.
Current NumberYear BuiltWithdrawnLocationStatusPhotographNotes
No. 72001930 as No. 5275
Jul 1963Buckinghamshire Railway CentreUnder RestorationLeft Woodham Brothers, Barry Island in September 1981. Restoration is ongoing but has made significant progress in recent years.
No. 72021930 as No. 5277
Jun 1964Didcot Railway CentreUnder RestorationLeft Barry Island in April 1974.
No. 72291926 as No. 5264
Aug 1964East Lancashire RailwayAwaiting RestorationLeft Barry Island in October 1984.

Models

In 2012, Hornby released models of the 7200 class in both the original GWR green and BR black.