GWR 655 Class

Class 655 of the Great Western Railway was a class of 52 0-6-0ST locomotives designed by George Armstrong and built at the GWR's Wolverhampton Works.

GWR 655 Class
2701 outside Swindon Works, 1947
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer George Armstrong Builder Wolverhampton, GWR[1] Order number Lots: A3, B3, E3[1] Serial number Works Nos: 563–74, 575–94, 605–24[1] Build date 1892 (1892)–97[1] Total produced 52[1]
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-6-0ST[1] Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 4 ft 6 in (1.372 m)[2] Wheelbase 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) + 8 ft 4 in (2.54 m), total 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m)[2] Frame type Type: Inside Length: 26 ft 6 in (8.08 m)[3] Axle load (1741) 13 long tons 18 cwt (31,100 lb or 14.1 t) 14.1 t; 15.6 short tons full[2] (2701) 14 long tons 6 cwt (32,000 lb or 14.5 t) 14.5 t; 16.0 short tons full[2] Loco weight (1741) 41 long tons 4 cwt (92,300 lb or 41.9 t) 41.9 t; 46.1 short tons full[2] (2701) 42 long tons 5 cwt (94,600 lb or 42.9 t) 42.9 t; 47.3 short tons full[2] Fuel type Coal Water cap. 1,000 imp gal (4,500 L; 1,200 US gal)[2] Firebox: ​  • Grate area 15.16 sq ft (1.408 m2)[2] Boiler Barrel: 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) Outside diameter: 4 ft 2 in (1.270 m) Pitch: 6 ft 4+3⁄4 in (1.949 m)[2] Boiler pressure 140 lbf/in2 (0.97 MPa)[2] Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 103 sq ft (9.6 m2)[2]  • Tubes 1,125 sq ft (104.5 m2)[2]  • Total surface 1,228 sq ft (114.1 m2)[2] Cylinders Two, inside Cylinder size Diameter: 17 in (432 mm) Stroke: 24 in (610 mm)[2] Loco brake Steam[a]
Performance figures Tractive effort 15,285 lbf (67.99 kN)[2]
Career Operators GWR Class GWR 655 Numbers 655, 767, 1741–50, 1771–90, 2701–20[1] Locale Primarily GWR Northern division[5] Withdrawn 1928 (1928)–50[6]

Design and construction

They were built in three lots between 1892 and 1897:

• Nos. 655, 767 and 1741-1750 (Lot A3, 1892)
• Nos. 1771-1790 (Lot B3, 1892-4)
• Nos. 2701-2720 (Lot E3, 1896-7)

They were in effect a continuation of the 645 Class, with longer frames though using the same 4 ft 6 in (1,370 mm) wheels and 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m) wheelbase, and they were the last of the larger type of tank engine to be built at Wolverhampton. Pannier tanks were later fitted to all of them, apart from No. 1772, between 1912 and 1930.

Use

They were nearly all Northern Division engines until the 1920s, though later Weymouth had as many as five. Withdrawal started in 1928, but 21 continued into British Railways ownership. Nos. 1782 and 2719 survived until November 1950.^[7]

Notes

1. Steam brakes with cast iron blocks became standard in the 1870s.^[4]