GWR 5700 Class

9729 at Highbridge Yard after the Western Region had taken over the S&D.

11 engines of the 5700 Class, nos 9700-10 were turned out with various modifications for working along the Metropolitan Line.

The Great Western Railway (GWR) 5700 Class is a class of 0-6-0 pannier tank steam locomotive, built between 1929 and 1950. 863 were built, making them the 2nd most produced British class of steam locomotive.

Overview

The GWR had favoured Pannier Tank locomotives since 1911 when they had started rebuilding locomotives built between 1870 and 1905 into this style. By 1929 these older locomotives were in need of replacement.

The first 5700s had round spectacles in the cab front but those built after 1933 had rectangular windows.

The size of the class demanded that the 5700 class locomotives were spread across several series of numbers.

• 3600 - 3699
• 3700 - 3799
• 4600 - 4699
• 5700 - 5799
• 6700 - 6779
• 7700 - 7799
• 8700 - 8799
• 9600 - 9682
• 9701 - 9799

Most were built at Swindon Works, but about 25% were built by private builders:-

• Armstrong Whitworth
• W. G. Bagnall
• Beyer Peacock
• Kerr Stuart
• North British
• Yorkshire Engine Co.

The GWR 5400 Class locomotives were a smaller engine, and had larger wheels and were auto-fitted for push pull passenger work. The GWR 6400 Class were similar to the 5400, but had the same size wheels as the 5700, and the GWR 7400 Class were very similar to the 6400 class, but were not auto fitted. The GWR 9400 Class was the post war updated design, heavier, longer and more powerful, using the same taper boiler as the GWR 2251 Class

9700 Class

The 9700 Class Pannier Tanks were a direct development of the 5700 Class. The prototype for the class, No.8700 (later 9700), was a rebuilt 5700 locomotive. They were specifically for working on the Metropolitan/Hammersmith & City lines between Paddington Stations and Smithfield Meat Market. They replaced 'Metro' and '633' class locomotives.

The eleven locomotives in the class had condensing apparatus that fed the exhaust steam back into the water tanks. The tanks themselves were shortened to make room for the external exhaust pipes and were extended down to the footplate in front of the cab to increase their capacity. As condensing the steam heated the water, a reciprocating pump (Weir pump) was fitted as a boiler feedwater pump because standard injectors will not work with hot water. The pumps led to (unsuccessful) tests with these locomotives acting as fire engines during World War II.

To work over the electrified underground lines, the 9700 Class locomotives had a special type of ATC equipment that lifted clear of the centre rail and had tripcock brake valves that matched the London Transport signalling system.

London Transport and industrial use

Several were sold to London Transport who used them until 1971. Here is L95 (ex-5764) at Neasden in 1961. This engine is now preserved.

A number of 5700s were sold for further use after being withdrawn by British Railways. The National Coal Board bought a few (at least six) but the best known are those bought by London Transport.

Eleven 5700s were bought by London Transport and used on the London underground network starting in 1956. They replaced older LT steam locomotives on Permanent Way trains and were never used on normal passenger services. Main line running included trips between depots, to Acton Works and runs out to Croxley Tip, near Watford. A further two locomotives were later bought to replace classmates that were withdrawn in need of major repairs.

The tripcock brake valve system was fitted to these locomotives and worked on the vacuum system, stopping the locomotives whether or not they were pulling a train.

They were numbered L89 to L99 and were allocated to the depots at Lillie Bridge (Kensington) and Neasden. Only eleven were running at any one time, the original L90 being withdrawn for repairs but scrapped instead and replaced by another locomotive which carried the same number.

The LT 5700s lasted until the end of steam on London Transport in 1971. Three diesel locomotives were bought to carry out the shunting duties from then on.

GWR 5700s on London Transport
LT Number	GWR/BR No.	Date Built	Date to LT	Withdrawn by LT	Notes
L89	5775	1929	1963	1969	Preserved
L90 (I)	7711	1930	1956	1961
L90 (II)	7760	1930	1961	1971	Preserved
L91 (I)	5752	1929	1956	1960
L91 (II)	5757	1929	1960	1968
L92	5786	1930	1958	1969	Preserved
L93	7779	1930	1958	1968
L94	7752	1930	1959	1971	Preserved
L95	5764	1929	1960	1971	Preserved
L96	7741	1930	1961	1967
L97	7749	1930	1962	1970
L98	7739	1929	1962	1970
L99	7715	1930	1963	1969	Preserved

The last 5700 in service was at Mountain Ash colliery, where it was working well into the 1970s and could still be seen on shed in 1980.

Preservation

Preserved No 7754 in NCB livery.

5786 at Buckfastleigh in 2005.

Preserved 5700 Class, no. 4612 on the Bodmin & Wenford Railway.

A total of 16 5700 class locomotives have survived to be preserved along with a number of the other types of Pannier Tank.

GWR 5700s in Preservation
GWR/BR No.	Date Built	Built by	Current Location	Notes
3650	1936	Swindon	Didcot
3738	1937	Swindon	Didcot
4612	1942	Swindon	Bodmin
5764	1929	Swindon	Severn Valley	Ex LT L95
5775	1929	Swindon	Worth Valley	Ex LT L89
5786	1930	Swindon	South Devon Railway	Ex LT L92
7714	1930	Kerr Stuart	Severn Valley	Ex NCB
7715	1930	Kerr Stuart	Quainton Road	Ex LT L99
7752	1930	North British	Tyseley	Ex LT L94
7754	1930	North British	Llangollen Railway	Ex NCB
7760	1930	North British	Tyseley	Ex LT L90
9600	1945	Swindon	Tyseley
9629	1945	Swindon	Pontypool
9642	1946	Swindon	Glos.Warks
9681	1949	Swindon	Dean Forest
9682	1949	Swindon	Chinnor & Princes Risborough

As the oldest locomotives were the first to be withdrawn and sold for further use, there are a disproportional number of early locomotives in preservation. A number of those bought from London Transport were still in running order and were used on preserved lines with minimal work.

Several preserved locomotives have run in London Transport colours but only 7715/L99 has been consistently so painted.

5700s in Fiction

5775 on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway featured in the 1970 film of The Railway Children painted Brown and lettered for the "Great Northern and Southern Railway".

"Duck the Great Western Engine" in the The Railway Series books by Rev. W Awdry was a 5700 class Pannier Tank.

External links

• http://www.greatwestern.org.uk/m_in_060_5700.htm
• Guide to GWR Pannier Tank Classes

References

• A pictorial Record of Great Western Engines, J.H.Russell (1975)
• Keighley & Worth Valley Locomotives as they were, Tom Heavyside (1996)
• Severn Valley Locomotives as they were, Tom Ferris (1995)
• The last years of Metropolitan Steam, H.C.Casserley