GWR 5700 Class

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 one of the most numerous classes of British steam locomotive.

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

The first 5700s were almost identical in appearance to several of the older converted locos (e.g. classes 645, 1701, 1854, 2721) and had round spectacles (windows) in the cab front, but those built after 1933 from no. 8750 onwards had rectangular windows and a slightly different cab profile virtually identical to the style introduced with the 5400 Class in 1931. Whilst they can be viewed as a simple update of the 2721 Class, the Collett improvements were worthwhile and the class became as synonymous with the GWR as Castles and Kings, lasting until the end of steam on the Western Region of British Railways.

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 – 7775–7799 (25)
 * W. G. Bagnall – 6700–6724, 8725–8749, 8400–8449 (100)
 * Beyer, Peacock & Co. – 8700–8724 (25)
 * Kerr Stuart - 7700–7724 (25)
 * North British – 5700–5749, 7725–7749 (75)
 * Yorkshire Engine Co. – 6725–6749 (25)

Other pannier tank locomotives
There were numerous other classes of pannier tanks built by the GWR. They fundamentally belonged to only two "families" of "large" and "small" designs, excluding some absorbed stock and even a few conversions of tender locos. The two groups were:-


 * "Large" group originally featuring saddle tanks (or in a few cases side tanks), 4'6" driving wheels and double frames e.g. 1076 Class or inside frames GWR 645 Class, culminating in the 94xx
 * "Small" group originally built at Wolverhampton Works with saddle tanks and driving wheels of 4 ft commencing with the GWR 850 Class and culminating in the BR 16xx

For example within the "small" group, the GWR 5400 Class locomotives were derived from the William Dean -designed GWR 2021 Class (an enlargement of the 850 Class), with larger wheels for higher top speed and fitted with autotrain apparatus ('auto-fitted') for push-pull passenger work. The GWR 6400 Class were similar to the 5400 Class, also being auto-fitted, but having the same size wheels as the 5700. The GWR 7400 Class were very similar to the 6400 Class, but were not auto-fitted and had a higher boiler pressure.

Within the "large" group, the GWR 9400 Class was the post-war updated design of the 8750 variant of the 57xx: heavier and longer, but nominally no more powerful, using the same taper boiler as the GWR 2251 Class.

For a list of classes, see GWR 0-6-0PT.

The 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.

Use after British Railways
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.

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.



National Coal Board
The last 5700 in service, no. 7754, was at Deep Duffryn Colliery at Mountain Ash, where it was working well into the 1970s, and could still be seen on shed in 1980.

Preservation
Sixteen 5700 class locomotives have been preserved, of which 8 are currently operational, with 2 of these being certified to run on Network Rail.

As the oldest locomotives were the first to be withdrawn and sold for further use, they form the majority of preserved examples. A number of those bought from London Transport were still in running order and were used on preserved lines with minimal work. Interestingly, 5764 (ex-LT L95) was steamed the day it arrived at Bridgnorth on the Severn Valley Railway, being lit-up before it had been removed from the low-loader on which it was delivered.

Several preserved locomotives have run in London Transport (LT) colours but 7715/L99 has been consistently so painted. At present, 7752/L94 has been painted in LT colours and has now returned to service at Tyseley.

In fiction
5775 on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway featured in the film The Railway Children painted brown and lettered for the "Great Northern and Southern Railway".

"Duck the Great Western Engine" in The Railway Series books by the Rev. W Awdry and the TV series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends is a 5700 Class pannier tank- His number was 5741.

No. 5764 appeared several times in the 1976 BBC television adaptation of Charles Dickens' short ghost story, The Signal-Man.

Models
Graham Farish manufacture a model of the 57xx in N scale.

Dapol Models have announced the release of the 57xx in N scale, due for release in September 2012

Bachmann has made 00 gauge Panniers, in 5700 class and the 8750 class also in the livery of all types as well.