GWR 4100 Class

Atbara class engine No. 3373 Atbara

In 1897 the Great Western Railway (GWR) introduced the Badminton class express passenger 4-4-0 steam locomotives as a development from the earlier Duke class. The name Badminton was chosen after the Duke of Beaufort's Badminton estate, through which the GWR was building a new line to South Wales at the time.^[1]

Further modifications to the design resulted in the Atbara Class entering service in 1900, the names for these locomotives generally being taken from contemporary military engagements or senior army commanders. Later engines were named after cities of the British Empire.

The final batch of locomotives were named after varieties of garden plant and in consequence were known as the Flower Class.

These three types were later standardised and treated as a single class, so are listed together here. Four other prototype 4-4-0s, originally built in 1894 as the Armstrong Class, were also later rebuilt as Badmintons (see below).

This class were subject to the 1912 renumbering of GWR 4-4-0 locomotives, which saw the Bulldog Class gathered together in the series 3300-3455, and other types renumbered out of that series. This class took numbers 4100-4172 (of which numbers 4101-4120 had previously been used by Flower Class locomotives).

Badminton class

Numbers		Names
First	Second (1912)	First	Second
3292	4100	Badminton
3293	4101	Barrington
3294	4102	Blenheim
3295	4103	Bessborough
3296	4104	Cambria
3297	4105	Earl Cawdor
3298	4106	Grosvenor
3299	4107	Hubbard	Alexander Hubbard
3300	4108	Hotspur
3301	4109	Monarch
3302	4110	Mortimer	Charles Mortimer
3303	4111	Marlborough
3304	4112	Oxford	Denamed in 1927
3305	4113	Samson
3306	4114	Shelburne
3307	4115	Shrewsbury	Denamed in 1927
3308	4116	Savernake
3309	4117	Shakespeare
3310	4118	Waterford
3311	4119	Wynnstay

One particular locomotive of the Badminton Class was the subject of one of Churchward's experiments. With the impending opening of the direct Reading-Taunton route which was of more undulating nature than the route via Bristol, there was need to ensure that the most appropriate locomotives were provided. Churchward's chief draughtsman F.G. Wright argued that a larger boiler, containing more hot water, would allow rapid steam production if the boiler pressure was reduced, a practice known as "mortgaging the boiler". To test the practice No. 3297, Earl Cawdor, was rebuilt to emerge in July 1903 with a considerably larger boiler and a new cab inspired by North Eastern practice.^[2][3] The locomotive was regularly rostered on the most demanding trains, but it soon became apparent that the locomotive was not up to the work demanded and it was relegated to secondary duties. In October 1906 the boiler was removed and replaced by a standard GWR No.4 boiler, the North Eastern style side-window cab having been replaced by a Churchward type in November 1904.^[2][3]

Atbara class

Ten locomotives (numbers 3400-3409) were rebuilt as City Class locomotives. One (number 3382) was withdrawn in September 1911 following an accident, so was not included in the 1912 renumbering.

Numbers		Names
First	Second (1912)	First	Second	Third
3373	4120	Atbara
3374	4121	Baden Powell
3375	4122	Conqueror	Edgcumbe[disambiguation needed ]	Colonel Edgcumbe
3376	4123	Herschell	Denamed in 1914
3377	4124	Kitchener
3378	4125	Khartoum
3379	4126	Kimberley
3380	4127	Ladysmith
3381	4128	Maine
3382	Withdrawn	Mafeking
3383	4129	Kekewich
3384	4130	Omdurman
3385	4131	Powerful
3386	4132	Pembroke	Denamed in 1930
3387	4133	Roberts
3388	4134	Sir Redvers
3389	4135	Sir Daniel	Pretoria
3390	4136	Terrible
3391	4137	Wolseley
3392	4138	White
3393	4139	Auckland
3394	4140	Adelaide	Denamed in 1910
3395	4141	Aden
3396	4142	Brisbane
3397	4143	Cape Town
3398	4144	Colombo
3399	4145	Dunedin
3400	City 3700	Durban
3401	City 3701	Gibraltar
3402	City 3702	Halifax
3403	City 3703	Hobart
3404	City 3704	Lyttelton
3405	City 3705	Mauritius
3406	City 3706	Melbourne
3407	City 3707	Malta
3408	City 3708	Killarney
3409	City 3709	Quebec
3410	4146	Sydney
3411	4147	St. Johns
3412	4148	Singapore

Flower class

Numbers		Name
First	Second (1912)
4101	4149	Auricula
4102	4150	Begonia
4103	4151	Calceolaria
4104	4152	Calendula
4105	4153	Camellia
4106	4154	Campanula
4107	4155	Cineraria
4108	4156	Gardenia
4109	4157	Lobelia
4110	4158	Petunia
4111	4159	Anemone
4112	4160	Carnation
4113	4161	Hyacinth
4114	4162	Marguerite
4115	4163	Marigold
4116	4164	Mignonette
4117	4165	Narcissus
4118	4166	Polyanthus
4119	4167	Primrose
4120	4168	Stephanotis

Prototype 4-4-0 locomotives

These were built in 1894, and originally had 7'1.5" driving wheels; when rebuilt with 6'8.5" wheels, the same size as the Flower class, they were renumbered, directly following on from that class.^[4]

Numbers		Date Renumbered	Names
First	Second		First	Second
16	4169	April 1915	Charles Saunders
14	4170	May 1917	Brunel
7	4171	February 1923	Charles Saunders	Armstrong
8	4172	February 1923	Gooch

External links

• Atbara Class

References

1. ^ Davies, Ken (April 1993). The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway, part fourteen: Names and their Origins - Railmotor Services - War Service - The Complete Preservation Story. Lincoln: RCTS. p. P107. ISBN 0 901115 75 4. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Freezer, Cyril J (March 1971). "Locomotives of the GWR: Earl Cawdor". Railway Modeller (Beer: Peco Publications & Publicity Ltd) Vol.22 (No.245): p92. 
3. ^ ^{a b} LeFleming, H.M. (October 1954). Dean's Larger Tender Engines. The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway. Part 7. Railway Correspondence and Travel Society. p. G30. 
4. ^ LeFleming, H.M. (October 1954). Dean's Larger Tender Engines. The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway. Part 7. Railway Correspondence and Travel Society. pp. G27–G29. 

• GWR Engines Names, Numbers Types & Classes. Originally published by the Great Western Railway and Great Western Railway Magazine 1911 and 1928. Reprinted: David & Charles, Newton Abbot, Devon. 1971. ISBN 0-7153-5367-5