GWR 1661 Class
Encyclopedia
The 1661 Class was William Dean's second design of tank locomotive for England's Great Western Railway
. Like the 1813 Class
which preceded them, there were 40 1661s, turned out at Swindon in two batches:
But unlike the 1813s, the 1661s had larger wheels (5'0"), sandwich frames with a longer wheelbase (15'9"), and saddle, not side tanks. Their frames had originally been ordered for the tender engines of the 2361 Class
; however, more 2361s turned out not to be needed, after tank engines (of Joseph Armstrong
's 1076 Class
) had been found to be successful hauling the heavy coal trains from Aberdare. Like the 2361s, the 1661s carried long boilers (10'6" barrel) when new, but shorter boilers were fitted on overhaul. As usual with GWR saddle tanks, pannier tanks were later fitted to most of them, between 1910 and 1926.
Eight were sold to South Wales railways in 1906-7, duly returning into GWR stock at the Grouping in 1922.
The last in service was No. 1685, which ran until 1934. Along with the 1076 class, they were initially used on long distance mineral traffic in the Southern Division of the GWR. To quote le Fleming, "they were always rather misfits", but "...their distinctive features were welcomed by enthusiasts if not by the Running Dept."
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...
. Like the 1813 Class
GWR 1813 Class
The Great Western Railway's 1813 Class was a series of 40 0-6-0 side-tank engines built at Swindon Works in two lots of 20 engines each:* Nos. 1813-1832 * Nos...
which preceded them, there were 40 1661s, turned out at Swindon in two batches:
- Nos. 1661-1680 (Lot 69, 1886)
- Nos. 1681-1700 (Lot 70, 1886-7)
But unlike the 1813s, the 1661s had larger wheels (5'0"), sandwich frames with a longer wheelbase (15'9"), and saddle, not side tanks. Their frames had originally been ordered for the tender engines of the 2361 Class
GWR 2361 Class
The 2361 Class is a class of steam locomotives of the Great Western Railway.It is sometimes described, erroneously, as the "outside-framed version of the Dean Goods"...
; however, more 2361s turned out not to be needed, after tank engines (of Joseph Armstrong
Joseph Armstrong (engineer)
Joseph Armstrong was a British locomotive engineer and the second locomotive superintendent of the Great Western Railway...
's 1076 Class
GWR 1076 Class
The 1076 Class were 266 double-framed 0-6-0 tank locomotives built by the Great Western Railway between 1870 and 1881; the last one was withdrawn in 1946...
) had been found to be successful hauling the heavy coal trains from Aberdare. Like the 2361s, the 1661s carried long boilers (10'6" barrel) when new, but shorter boilers were fitted on overhaul. As usual with GWR saddle tanks, pannier tanks were later fitted to most of them, between 1910 and 1926.
Eight were sold to South Wales railways in 1906-7, duly returning into GWR stock at the Grouping in 1922.
The last in service was No. 1685, which ran until 1934. Along with the 1076 class, they were initially used on long distance mineral traffic in the Southern Division of the GWR. To quote le Fleming, "they were always rather misfits", but "...their distinctive features were welcomed by enthusiasts if not by the Running Dept."
Source
- H. M. le Fleming (1958), Locomotives of the Great Western Railway, part five: Six-coupled Tank Locomotives, RCTS