GWR 7800 Class
Encyclopedia
The Great Western Railway
(GWR) 7800 Class or Manor Class is a class of 4-6-0
steam locomotive
. They were designed as a lighter version of the GWR Grange Class, giving them a wider Route Availability
. Like the 'Granges', the 'Manors' used parts from the GWR 4300 Class
Moguls but just on the first batch of twenty. Twenty were built between 1938 and 1939, with British Railways adding a further 10 in 1950. Nine are preserved.
moguls. A new standard boiler, type No. 14, was developed for the class. The outbreak of war forced the cancellation of construction of a further batch of 20 locomotives. The Manor class, with an axle loading of just over 17 tons, could be utilised on many lines from which the heavier Granges
were barred. The first examples were despatched to depots at Wolverhampton
, Bristol
, Gloucester
, Shrewsbury
, Westbury
in Wiltshire
and Neyland
in South Wales. In October 1938 No.7805 Broome Manor underwent clearance tests between Ruabon and Barmouth. Subsequently the class were used over the main lines of the erstwhile Cambrian Railways
. The Manors were also successfully employed in the West Country where they were used for banking and piloting trains over the Devon banks between Newton Abbot and Plymouth. Their light axleloading allowed them across the Tamar Bridge and on to the branch lines of Cornwall.
Unlike the Granges of 1936 where the use of standard components and the re-use of existing ones had produced a masterpiece the initial performance of the Manors was comparatively mediocre. Were it not for the constraints of war there is every reason to expect that Swindon would have recalled the engines for modifications.
After nationalisation, the newly created Western Region was authorised to build ten more of the class. Nos.7820-29 were outshopped from Swindon in November and December 1950. There was no attempt to improve the steaming; a British Railway edict permitted construction only of existing pre-nationalisation designs. Subsequent trials showed the engines did not require too much work to correct their faults. Internal alterations to the blastpipe and an increase in air space in the firegrate added to the new type of narrow chimney noticeably improved the draughting. After trials on 10 of the class, the improvements became standard after July 1954.
By 1959 21 Manors were congregated in Mid- and South Wales. Their most prestigious working was the Cambrian Coast Express, where a Manor took over from a King
or Castle
at Shrewsbury and worked through to Aberystwyth. Others of the class operated in the Birmingham, Gloucester and Hereford areas while the handful stationed at Reading frequently ventured on to the Southern Region line to Guildford and Redhill.
The first Manor to be scrapped was No.7809 Childrey Manor, withdrawn from Shrewsbury depot in April 1963 and cut up at Swindon. By May 1965 the numbers had been halved and the final two, No.7808 Cookham Manor
of Gloucester, and No.7829 Ramsbury Manor of Didcot, were condemned in December 1965.
, 7808 Cookham Manor
, 7812 Erlestoke Manor
and 7819 Hinton Manor
.
In the 1970s, no. 7808 Cookham Manor was used by the Great Western Society (GWS) to haul nine vintage ex-GWR carriages on an annual outing on the main line from Didcot to Birmingham. For a few years the GWS used provided a completely authentic, historic train made up with Collett and Hawksworth coaches, notable for their many different styles and the underframe trussing. At the rear were two Super Saloons, no. 9112 Queen Mary and no. 9118 Princess Elizabeth. There was nothing comparable, but it came to an end when BR introduced new regulations for privately-owned rolling stock, including ultrasonic testing of the wheels, which was expensive to carry out.
Nos. 7812 Erlestoke Manor and 7819 Hinton Manor were mostly seen on the main line for the 150th anniversary of the Great Western Railway in 1985 and in the 1980s hauling passenger specials over former GWR routes.
, no. 7802 Bradley Manor is the latest "Manor" to be seen on the main line until her withdrawal in 2007. Her most popular trips were when she worked the Torbay Express in 2003 alongside GWR no. 5051 Earl Bathurst
. In April 2007 new Network Rail standards were introduced requiring all preserved steam locomotives to be fitted with on-train monitoring recorders (OTMR) before they could run on the main line. So halfway through its main line certificate the owners decided the cost of returning no. 7812 Erlestoke Manor to steam and fitting OTMR to no. 7802 was just too much. Bradley Manor did receive a stay of execution and could run on the main line until the end of 2007.
Since then no "Manors" have been seen on the main line and its doubted that they will return due to their size and they are limited to 60mph due to the wheel diameter.
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...
(GWR) 7800 Class or Manor Class is a class of 4-6-0
4-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular...
steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
. They were designed as a lighter version of the GWR Grange Class, giving them a wider Route Availability
Route availability
Route Availability is the system by which the permanent way and supporting works of the National Rail network of Great Britain are graded. All routes are allocated an RA number between 1 and 10....
. Like the 'Granges', the 'Manors' used parts from the GWR 4300 Class
GWR 4300 Class
The Great Western Railway 4300 Class is a class of 2-6-0 steam locomotive.- Overview :The class was introduced in 1911 to a G.J. Churchward design. 342 were built until 1932...
Moguls but just on the first batch of twenty. Twenty were built between 1938 and 1939, with British Railways adding a further 10 in 1950. Nine are preserved.
History
The first of the Manors No.7800 Torquay Manor entered traffic in January 1938 and 20 were in service by February 1939. They used the driving wheels, motion components and tenders from withdrawn GWR 4300 ClassGWR 4300 Class
The Great Western Railway 4300 Class is a class of 2-6-0 steam locomotive.- Overview :The class was introduced in 1911 to a G.J. Churchward design. 342 were built until 1932...
moguls. A new standard boiler, type No. 14, was developed for the class. The outbreak of war forced the cancellation of construction of a further batch of 20 locomotives. The Manor class, with an axle loading of just over 17 tons, could be utilised on many lines from which the heavier Granges
GWR 6800 Class
The Great Western Railway 6800 Class or Grange Class was a mixed traffic class of 4-6-0 steam locomotive. There were 80 in the class, all built at the Swindon works.-History:The GWR locomotive standardisation policy pursued by G.J...
were barred. The first examples were despatched to depots at Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
, Westbury
Westbury, Wiltshire
Westbury is a town and civil parish in the west of the English county of Wiltshire, most famous for the Westbury White Horse.-Name:The most likely origin of the West- in Westbury is simply that the town is near the western edge of the county of Wiltshire, the bounds of which have been much the same...
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
and Neyland
Neyland
Neyland is a town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, lying on the River Cleddau and the upstream end of the Milford Haven estuary. The nearby Cleddau Bridge crosses the river, linking Neyland to Pembroke Dock.-History:...
in South Wales. In October 1938 No.7805 Broome Manor underwent clearance tests between Ruabon and Barmouth. Subsequently the class were used over the main lines of the erstwhile Cambrian Railways
Cambrian Railways
Cambrian Railways owned of track over a large area of mid-Wales. The system was an amalgamation of a number of railways that were incorporated in 1864, 1865 and 1904...
. The Manors were also successfully employed in the West Country where they were used for banking and piloting trains over the Devon banks between Newton Abbot and Plymouth. Their light axleloading allowed them across the Tamar Bridge and on to the branch lines of Cornwall.
Unlike the Granges of 1936 where the use of standard components and the re-use of existing ones had produced a masterpiece the initial performance of the Manors was comparatively mediocre. Were it not for the constraints of war there is every reason to expect that Swindon would have recalled the engines for modifications.
After nationalisation, the newly created Western Region was authorised to build ten more of the class. Nos.7820-29 were outshopped from Swindon in November and December 1950. There was no attempt to improve the steaming; a British Railway edict permitted construction only of existing pre-nationalisation designs. Subsequent trials showed the engines did not require too much work to correct their faults. Internal alterations to the blastpipe and an increase in air space in the firegrate added to the new type of narrow chimney noticeably improved the draughting. After trials on 10 of the class, the improvements became standard after July 1954.
By 1959 21 Manors were congregated in Mid- and South Wales. Their most prestigious working was the Cambrian Coast Express, where a Manor took over from a King
GWR 6000 Class
The Great Western Railway 6000 Class or King is a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotive designed for express passenger work. With the exception of one Pacific , they were the largest locomotives the GWR built. They were named after kings of the United Kingdom and of England, beginning with the reigning...
or Castle
GWR 4073 Class
The GWR 4073 Class or Castle class locomotives are a group of 4-6-0 steam locomotives of the Great Western Railway. They were originally designed by the railway's Chief Mechanical Engineer, Charles Collett, for working the company's express passenger trains.-History:A development of the earlier...
at Shrewsbury and worked through to Aberystwyth. Others of the class operated in the Birmingham, Gloucester and Hereford areas while the handful stationed at Reading frequently ventured on to the Southern Region line to Guildford and Redhill.
The first Manor to be scrapped was No.7809 Childrey Manor, withdrawn from Shrewsbury depot in April 1963 and cut up at Swindon. By May 1965 the numbers had been halved and the final two, No.7808 Cookham Manor
GWR 7800 Class 7808 Cookham Manor
7808 Cookham Manor is a Great Western Railway 7800 'Manor' Class steam locomotive. It was built in 1938 at Swindon Works. It was withdrawn from service in December 1965 and was obtained directly for preservation from British Railways when it was purchased by a member of the Great Western Society in...
of Gloucester, and No.7829 Ramsbury Manor of Didcot, were condemned in December 1965.
Mainline Operation
Only four Manors have seen main line operation in preservation: they are nos. 7802 Bradley ManorGWR 7800 Class 7802 Bradley Manor
7802 Bradley Manor is a 7800 'Manor' Class 4-6-0 steam locomotive. Built by the Great Western Railway at its Swindon Works in January 1938 it had an operating life of 27 years being withdrawn in November 1965...
, 7808 Cookham Manor
GWR 7800 Class 7808 Cookham Manor
7808 Cookham Manor is a Great Western Railway 7800 'Manor' Class steam locomotive. It was built in 1938 at Swindon Works. It was withdrawn from service in December 1965 and was obtained directly for preservation from British Railways when it was purchased by a member of the Great Western Society in...
, 7812 Erlestoke Manor
GWR 7800 Class 7812 Erlestoke Manor
GWR 78xx Class 7812 Erlestoke Manor is a steam locomotive that serviced the Great Western Railway. It was built at Swindon in January 1939. First shed allocation Bristol, Bath Road. August 1950 shed allocation Newton Abbot. March 1959 shed allocation Plymouth Laira. Transferred to Oswestry May...
and 7819 Hinton Manor
GWR 7800 Class 7819 Hinton Manor
7819 Hinton Manor is a Great Western Railway locomotive part of the Manor Class. It is one of 9 locomotives preserved from the class which originally had 30. Built by Great Western Railway in 1939 it was withdrawn from service in November 1965 before being moved to Woodham Brothers scrapyard in...
.
In the 1970s, no. 7808 Cookham Manor was used by the Great Western Society (GWS) to haul nine vintage ex-GWR carriages on an annual outing on the main line from Didcot to Birmingham. For a few years the GWS used provided a completely authentic, historic train made up with Collett and Hawksworth coaches, notable for their many different styles and the underframe trussing. At the rear were two Super Saloons, no. 9112 Queen Mary and no. 9118 Princess Elizabeth. There was nothing comparable, but it came to an end when BR introduced new regulations for privately-owned rolling stock, including ultrasonic testing of the wheels, which was expensive to carry out.
Nos. 7812 Erlestoke Manor and 7819 Hinton Manor were mostly seen on the main line for the 150th anniversary of the Great Western Railway in 1985 and in the 1980s hauling passenger specials over former GWR routes.
, no. 7802 Bradley Manor is the latest "Manor" to be seen on the main line until her withdrawal in 2007. Her most popular trips were when she worked the Torbay Express in 2003 alongside GWR no. 5051 Earl Bathurst
GWR 4073 Class 5051 Earl Bathurst
Earl Bathurst is a Castle class locomotive. It still works, and is run by the Didcot Railway Centre.It was originally built as Drysllwyn Castle in May 1936. Its first shed allocation was Swansea Landore. Renamed Earl Bathurst in August 1937; the name coming from a de-named GWR Dukedog Class. It...
. In April 2007 new Network Rail standards were introduced requiring all preserved steam locomotives to be fitted with on-train monitoring recorders (OTMR) before they could run on the main line. So halfway through its main line certificate the owners decided the cost of returning no. 7812 Erlestoke Manor to steam and fitting OTMR to no. 7802 was just too much. Bradley Manor did receive a stay of execution and could run on the main line until the end of 2007.
Since then no "Manors" have been seen on the main line and its doubted that they will return due to their size and they are limited to 60mph due to the wheel diameter.
Fiction
- 7802 Bradley Manor appears in the 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a 2005 epic fantasy adventure film directed by Andrew Adamson and based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first published and second chronological novel in C. S. Lewis's children's epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of...
.
Locomotives
See List of GWR 7800 Class locomotives for all Manor locomotives built. Nine locomotives have been preserved:| Number | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 7802 GWR 7800 Class 7802 Bradley Manor 7802 Bradley Manor is a 7800 'Manor' Class 4-6-0 steam locomotive. Built by the Great Western Railway at its Swindon Works in January 1938 it had an operating life of 27 years being withdrawn in November 1965... |
Bradley Manor | Preserved at the Severn Valley Railway Severn Valley Railway The Severn Valley Railway is a heritage railway in Shropshire and Worcestershire, England. The line runs along the Severn Valley from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route... . Awaiting Overhaul |
| 7808 GWR 7800 Class 7808 Cookham Manor 7808 Cookham Manor is a Great Western Railway 7800 'Manor' Class steam locomotive. It was built in 1938 at Swindon Works. It was withdrawn from service in December 1965 and was obtained directly for preservation from British Railways when it was purchased by a member of the Great Western Society in... |
Cookham Manor | Preserved 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... Static Display |
| 7812 GWR 7800 Class 7812 Erlestoke Manor GWR 78xx Class 7812 Erlestoke Manor is a steam locomotive that serviced the Great Western Railway. It was built at Swindon in January 1939. First shed allocation Bristol, Bath Road. August 1950 shed allocation Newton Abbot. March 1959 shed allocation Plymouth Laira. Transferred to Oswestry May... |
Erlestoke Manor | Preserved at the Severn Valley Railway Severn Valley Railway The Severn Valley Railway is a heritage railway in Shropshire and Worcestershire, England. The line runs along the Severn Valley from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route... operational. |
| 7819 GWR 7800 Class 7819 Hinton Manor 7819 Hinton Manor is a Great Western Railway locomotive part of the Manor Class. It is one of 9 locomotives preserved from the class which originally had 30. Built by Great Western Railway in 1939 it was withdrawn from service in November 1965 before being moved to Woodham Brothers scrapyard in... |
Hinton Manor | Preserved at the Severn Valley Railway Severn Valley Railway The Severn Valley Railway is a heritage railway in Shropshire and Worcestershire, England. The line runs along the Severn Valley from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route... . static display at Swindon Designer Outlet Swindon Designer Outlet thumb|right|Swindon Designer Outlet, a shopping complex built within the disused Swindon railway engine works.thumb|right|A Swindon-built locomotive on display in the eating area of the Outlet... |
| 7820 GWR 7800 Class 7820 Dinmore Manor 7820 Dinmore Manor is a British Railways locomotive part of the Manor Class. It is one of nine locomotives preserved from the class, which originally numbered 30.... |
Dinmore Manor Dinmore Manor Dinmore Manor is a house in Herefordshire. It is presently the private residence of mobile phone tycoon Martin Dawes and no longer open to the general public.... |
owned by Dinmore Manor Locomotive Ltd and is undergoing overhaul |
| 7821 GWR 7800 Class 7821 Ditcheat Manor Great Western Railway 7800 Class No. 7821 Ditcheat Manor is a preserved British steam locomotive.The second of the last batch of 10 engines of her thirty-strong class, she was actually built by British Railways in 1950. Like most of her class of lightweight 4-6-0s, she was allocated to lines in... |
Ditcheat Manor | Preserved at West Somerset Railway West Somerset Railway The West Somerset Railway is a railway line that originally linked and in Somerset, England.It opened in 1862 and was extended from Watchet to by the Minehead Railway in 1874. Although just a single track, improvements were needed in the first half of the twentieth century to accommodate the... . Currently on static display at STEAM - Museum of the GWR. |
| 7822 GWR 7800 Class 7822 Foxcote Manor The Great Western Railway steam locomotive no. 7822 Foxcote Manor is a 4-6-0 Manor Class locomotive, built in 1950 at Swindon Works. It is part of a post-war batch of 10 locomotives, which follows on from 20 earlier locomotives built in 1938.... |
Foxcote Manor | Preserved at Llangollen Railway Llangollen Railway The Llangollen Railway is a volunteer-run preserved railway in Denbighshire, Wales, which operates between Llangollen and Carrog; at long, it is the longest preserved standard gauge line in Wales and operates daily in Summer as well as weekends throughout the Winter months using a wide variety of... Operational |
| 7827 GWR 7800 Class 7827 Lydham Manor Great Western Railway 7800 Class No. 7827 Lydham Manor is a preserved British steam locomotive. She is currently owned by the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway.... |
Lydham Manor | Preserved at Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway The Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway is a heritage railway on the former Kingswear branch line between Paignton and Kingswear in Torbay, Devon, England.... operational. |
| 7828 GWR 7800 Class 7828 Odney Manor 7828 Odney Manor is a Great Western Railway locomotive part of the Manor Class. It is one of 9 locomotives preserved from the class which originally had 30. Built by British Railways in 1950 it was withdrawn from service in 1965 before being moved to Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, Vale of... |
Odney Manor GWR 7800 Class 7828 Odney Manor 7828 Odney Manor is a Great Western Railway locomotive part of the Manor Class. It is one of 9 locomotives preserved from the class which originally had 30. Built by British Railways in 1950 it was withdrawn from service in 1965 before being moved to Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, Vale of... |
Preserved at West Somerset Railway West Somerset Railway The West Somerset Railway is a railway line that originally linked and in Somerset, England.It opened in 1862 and was extended from Watchet to by the Minehead Railway in 1874. Although just a single track, improvements were needed in the first half of the twentieth century to accommodate the... Nearing Completion of Overhaul |
Details
| Boiler maximum dia. | 5 in 3 in (1.6 m) |
| Boiler minimum dia. | 4 foot |
| Boiler length | 13 feet 0 5/16 inches |
| Fire tubes, no. and dia. | 158 × 2 inches (50.8 mm) |
| Flue tubes, no. and dia. | 12 × 5+1/8 in |
| Superheater Superheater A superheater is a device used to convert saturated steam or wet steam into dry steam used for power generation or processes. There are three types of superheaters namely: radiant, convection, and separately fired... tubes, no. and dia. |
72 × 1 inches (25.4 mm) |