The Great Western Railway (GWR) 6800 Class or Grange Class is a mixed-traffic class of 4-6-0 steam locomotive, built to replace the GWR 4300 Class 2-6-0. There were 80 originally built in the class, all built at the Swindon works, using some reconditioned parts from withdrawn 4300 Class locomotives. The 81st Grange, 6880 Betton Grange, was completed in 2024 as new member of the class.

Background The GWR locomotive standardisation policy pursued by George Jackson Churchward envisaged a range of locomotive classes which would be suitable for the majority of duties, and yet which would share a small number of standard components. Among the designs suggested in 1901 was a 4-6-0 with diameter driving wheels and the Standard No. 1 boiler. Although planned in 1901, none were built during Churchward's lifetime. C.B. Collett, (Churchward's successor at Swindon Works) rather introduced the Hall class with diameter driving wheels.

The 4300 Class of 2-6-0 tender locomotives had been introduced on the GWR for mixed traffic duties in 1911, and by 1932 there were 342 in service. However, by the mid-1930s some of the earlier examples were in need of attention and the class as a whole was struggling with some of the duties expected of them. Collett therefore revived the Churchward proposal, but modified the design to include a cab and controls to the current style. Between 1936 and 1939, one hundred 4300 Class were taken out of service and replaced by new 4-6-0 locomotives; eighty were of the 6800 (or Grange) class and the remaining 20 were of the 7800 (or Manor) class. It had been intended to replace all of the 4300 Class in this way, but the Second World War stopped the programme.

Design and Production The Granges were effectively a smaller-wheeled version of the Hall Class.

The wheels, valve motion and tenders were taken from the withdrawn engines, reconditioned and then used in the construction of the 100 new locomotives; the components from one old locomotive were spread amongst more than one of the new engines. The cylinders of the Granges were of the same size as those used on the 4300 Class, but the old cylinders could not be re-used because the cylinders and valves shared a common casting, and the new design called for the separation between cylinder and valve centre lines to be increased by . This was done in order to make the cylinders level with the axles, but still allow the use of the old valve motion parts.

The locomotives were built in two batches to a single order (Lot No. 308): Nos. 6800-6859 were built between August 1936 and December 1937, and Nos. 6860-6879 appeared between February and May 1939. They were all named after Granges in the area covered by the GWR. Further construction of the class was cancelled due to the outbreak of war. They were originally fitted with Churchward tenders taken from withdrawn members of the 4300 Class. However, after the second world war several were fitted with newer and types.

Performance Although built to a thirty five-year-old design, in service they proved to be reliable performers. With their power and mixed traffic characteristics they could handle most duties on the network. Their smaller driving wheels giving them a higher tractive effort than the Hall Class. They were often used for the haulage of perishable goods, such as fruit and broccoli, and for excursion trains. However their axle loading prevented their use on some cross-country routes previously operated by the 4300 class. As a result, a lighter version in the form of the Manor Class was introduced for these duties.

The BR power classification of the Grange class was 5MT, its GWR power class was D and its route availability colour code was red.

Accidents On 21 September 1962, 6800 Arlington Grange was hauling a freight train which overran signals at and was derailed.

Withdrawal and Preservation The entire class was withdrawn from service between 1960 and 1965 and no examples were preserved. However, GWR 6880 Betton Grange, the next Grange that was due to be built originally, was constructed between approximately 1998 and 2024 at the Llangollen Railway and Tyseley Locomotive Works.6880 Betton Grange Project

+ Table of withdrawals Year Quantity inservice atstart of year Number withdrawn Quantitywithdrawn Locomotive numbers 1960 80 1 1 6801. 1961 79 2 3 6802/05. 1962 77 1 4 6865. 1963 76 5 9 6807/09/14/28/35. 1964 71 26 35 6800/04/06/08/10–11/18/21–22/24–25/32/34/39/42–46/50/52/63/67/73/75/78. 1965 45 45 80 6803/12–13/15–17/19–20/23/26–27/29–31/33/36–38/40–41/47–49/51/53–62/64/66/68–72/74/76–77/79.

List of Locomotives GWR/BR Number Name Built Withdrawn Notes 6800 Arlington Grange 6801 Aylburton Grange 6802 Bampton Grange 6803 Bucklebury Grange 6804 Brockington Grange 6805 Broughton Grange 6806 Blackwell Grange 6807 Birchwood Grange 6808 Beenham Grange 6809 Burghclere Grange 6810 Blakemere Grange 6811 Cranbourne Grange 6812 Chesford Grange 6813 Eastbury Grange 6814 Enborne Grange 6815 Frilford Grange 6816 Frankton Grange Considered as a candidate for preservation when the GWS were first looking to preserve a 2-cylinder mixed traffic 4.6.0 6817 Gwenddwr Grange 6818 Hardwick Grange 6819 Highnam Grange 6820 Kingstone Grange 6821 Leaton Grange 6822 Manton Grange 6823 Oakley Grange 6824 Ashley Grange 6825 Llanvair Grange 6826 Nannerth Grange 6827 Llanfrechfa Grange 6828 Trellech Grange 6829 Burmington Grange 6830 Buckenhill Grange 6831 Bearley Grange 6832 Brockton Grange 6833 Calcot Grange 6834 Dummer Grange 6835 Eastham Grange 6836 Estevarney Grange 6837 Forthampton Grange 6838 Goodmoor Grange 6839 Hewell Grange 6840 Hazeley Grange 6841 Marlas Grange 6842 Nunhold Grange 6843 Poulton Grange 6844 Penhydd Grange 6845 Paviland Grange 6846 Ruckley Grange 6847 Tidmarsh Grange 6848 Toddington Grange 6849 Walton Grange 6850 Cleeve Grange 6851 Hurst Grange 6852 Headbourne Grange 6853 Morehampton Grange 6854 Roundhill Grange 6855 Saighton Grange 6856 Stowe Grange 6857 Tudor Grange 6858 Woolston Grange 6859 Yiewsley Grange 6860 Aberporth Grange 6861 Crynant Grange 6862 Derwent Grange 6863 Dolhywel Grange 6864 Dymock Grange 6865 Hopton Grange 6866 Morfa Grange 6867 Peterston Grange 6868 Penrhos Grange 6869 Resolven Grange 6870 Bodicote Grange 6871 Bourton Grange 6872 Crawley Grange 6873 Caradoc Grange 6874 Haughton Grange 6875 Hindford Grange 6876 Kingsland Grange 6877 Llanfair Grange 6878 Longford Grange 6879 Overton Grange

See also List of GWR standard classes with two outside cylinders

References

External links

Great Western Railway archive entry on the 6800 class Railways on line entry Website of the Grange Project