The GWR was the longest-lived of the pre-nationalisation railway companies in Britain, surviving the 'Grouping' of the railways in 1923 almost unchanged. As a result, the history of its numbering and classification of locomotives is relatively complicated. This page explains the principal systems that were used.

For information about individual classes and locomotives, see: Locomotives of the Great Western Railway

Numbering

Broad Gauge Era From the start, the GWR gave names only to its broad gauge locomotive stock. However, many classes carried 'themed' names, e.g. stars or signs of the zodiac, which aided identification of locomotives to some extent. See List of 7-foot gauge railway locomotive names

The exception to this rule was that any broad gauge locomotives the GWR absorbed from other railways (in particular, the South Devon Railway and Bristol and Exeter Railway) were given numbers in the 2000-2199 series. This applied even where locomotives had carried names under their previous owner (indeed, these names were usually removed by the GWR) and even when the locomotives had originally belonged to the GWR and had been sold out of stock.

Towards the end of the broad gauge era, a number of locomotives were built to a design that enabled them to be easily converted from one gauge to the other (hence the term 'convertibles' used for these locomotives). These engines also carried numbers in the standard gauge series, whether or not they were running in broad gauge form.

Standard Gauge 1854-1877 Initially standard gauge locomotive numbering was a simple sequential system, starting from 1. Numbering in this series, which included new locomotives and those absorbed from other railways, eventually reached 1297. New locomotives were identified as being paid from either revenue or capital account. Initially an effort was made to treat the numbering of locomotives bought out of revenue differently from those out of capital, including by re-using old numbers left vacant following withdrawal, using a duplicate number system (unusually, giving the new locomotives an A suffix - other railways tended to apply such notation to the old locomotive being replaced) and, for a few years, using the series 1000 (later 1001) upwards. In 1875, the sequential system starting at 1 reached 1000 and then jumped to 1116, the other side of the latter range of numbers still carried.

Standard Gauge 1877–1902 Under William Dean's leadership, blocks of numbers were allocated for different locomotive types, as follows:RCTS Part 1, p.14

NumbersTypes1301 to 1400 (1298 to 1300 later added as an overflow)Absorbed standard and narrow gauge locomotives; series introduced 1875.RCTS Part 1, p.91401 to 1500Passenger tank locomotivesRCTS Part 1, p.111501 to 20000-6-0 tank locomotives2001 to 2200Absorbed broad gauge locomotives; series introduced 1876.RCTS Part 1, p.102201 to 2300Passenger tender locomotives2301 to 3000Goods tender locomotives3001 to 3200Passenger tender locomotives (single driver)3201 to 3500Passenger tender locomotives (four-coupled)3501 upwardsPassenger tank locomotives

The only exceptions to these principles under Dean were use of the 20xx, 21xx, and 27xx series for 0-6-0 tank engines after the end of broad gauge operations. Experimental locomotives and other small classes continued to be numbered in gaps left following withdrawals in the number series below 1000.

Standard Gauge 1902-1912 Under George Jackson Churchward, the system applied by William Dean broke down, and new classes simply took the next free block of hundred numbers starting at xx01, with experimental engines numbered in odd gaps in the earlier series of numbers, usually below 110.

1912 Renumbering In December 1912 (the official date being 28 December), the GWR undertook a renumbering of some of its locomotives — mainly 4-4-0 classes — so that locomotives of the same class were numbered consecutively. This desirable aim was made more important following the rebuilding of some Duke and Atbara locomotives to Bulldog and City class designs. A few of the changes were connected with a decision that blocks of numbers for each class should start at xx00 rather than xx01 as previously.RCTS Part 1, p.14

+4-4-0 classesClassOriginal NumbersNew Number RangeNotesRefAtbara3373-34124120-41483382 scrapped 1911;3400-3409 rebuilt to CityRCTS Part 7, pp. G33, G35-G36Badminton3292-33114100-4119RCTS Part 7, pp. G29, G32Bird3731-37453441-3455RCTS Part 7, pp. G19, G26-G27Bulldog (ex-Duke)Various (from 3253-3331)3300-3319RCTS Part 7, pp. G12, G16-17, G19, G23-G24Bulldog (new build)3332-3372, 3413-3432, 3443-3472, 3701-37303320-3440RCTS Part 7, pp. G19, G24-G26City (ex-Atbara)3400-34093700-3709RCTS Part 7, pp. G33, G35-G36, G38City (new build)3433-3442 3710-3719RCTS Part 7, pp. G36, G38County3473-3482, 3801-38303800, 3831-38393801-3830 not renumberedRCTS Part 9, pp. J10, J11-J12Duke3252-3291, 3312-3331 (various, total 40)3252-3291others rebuilt to BulldogRCTS Part 7, pp. G12, G16-17Flower4101-41204149-4168RCTS Part 7, pp. G33, G36

+Other classesClassWheel arrangementOriginal NumbersNew Number RangeRef455 (Metro)2-4-0T36003500RCTS Part 6, pp. F28, F372600 (Aberdare)2-6-0332600RCTS Part 7, pp. G40, G3627210-6-0T28002700RCTS Part 5, pp. E67, E7128002-8-0972800RCTS Part 9, pp. J19, J22-J232900 (Saint)4-6-0/4-4-298, 100, 171-1902998, 2900, 2971-2990RCTS Part 8, pp. H22-H2331002-6-2T993100RCTS Part 9, pp. J28, J3036002-4-2T113600RCTS Part 6, pp. F38, F414000 (Star)4-6-0404000RCTS Part 8, pp. H6, H744002-6-2T115, 3101-104400-10RCTS Part 9, pp. J44, J4645002-6-2T2161-904500-29RCTS Part 9, pp. J46, J49Cornwall Min. Rly0-6-0T14001398RCTS Part 3, pp. C73-C74, C76

Standard Gauge 1912 onwards From the time of the 1912 renumbering, a system was adopted for new locomotives where the second digit indicated the broad type of locomotive. For example, express passenger locomotives had x0xx numbers and large mixed traffic tender locomotives were x9xx. When a class numbered more than 100 locos, rather than continue the numbers consecutively the second digit remained constant (e.g. 4900 Class included 4900-4999, 5900-5999, and 6900 onwards).

At the same time, a change was made so that new classes usually commenced from the number xx00. There was a certain amount of renumbering so that the prototype locomotives for existing classes took the appropriate xx00 number before the series used by production locomotives. Thus, from this time on, numbers below 2000 were mainly occupied by old, absorbed or otherwise non-standard locomotives.

For the separate numbering of steam rail motors, petrol and diesel railcars, diesel shunters and gas turbine locomotives, see section Other number series below.

1923 Renumbering In 1923, the GWR absorbed a number of small railway companies as part of the Grouping. The locomotives that it inherited were renumbered into gaps in the number series below 2199 left vacant by the withdrawal of older locomotives. Many of these engines were withdrawn after a short period of time, but those that survived in 1946 were subject to another renumbering to rationalise the system further (see below).

The bulk of the locomotives absorbed were renumbered into gaps in broad number ranges according to their wheel arrangement. Locomotives from the following railways were included in this scheme: Alexandra Docks Railway, Barry Railway, Cambrian Railways, Cardiff Railway, Midland and South Western Junction Railway, Port Talbot Railway, Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway, Rhymney Railway, South Wales Mineral Railway, Taff Vale Railway, Vale of Rheidol Railway, and Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway.

Locomotives from the Brecon and Merthyr Railway, Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway and Neath and Brecon Railway were also renumbered according to their wheel arrangement, but used a different set of number ranges.

The number ranges used for all these locomotives are set out below, but note that those engines that had previously been sold out of stock by the GWR regained their original GWR numbers, and were not allocated new numbers in these ranges:

Wheel ArrangementMain Number RangeBMR, BPGVR and NBR Range0-4-4T2-232-6-0244-4-4T25-270-6-2T30-60311-1375, 1668-18330-6-0T604-8432161-21990-6-0844-10134-4-01014-11284-4-0T1129-118413922-4-0T1189-11971400-14582-6-2T1199-12134-4-2T1301-130613912-4-2T1307-13262-4-01328-13360-4-0T1338-13430-6-4T1344-13570-8-2T1358-13860-8-01387-1390

The locomotives inherited by the GWR from other concerns were renumbered as follows: Ex-Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway 0-6-0T engines became 28-29. Locomotives from the Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway, Powesland and Mason and Swansea Harbour Trust were absorbed after the original numbering series had been drawn up, and these were fitted into available gaps without reference to the original number ranges. In some case they took the numbers of other absorbed engines that had already been withdrawn. In the 1940s, the Corris Railway and Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway were absorbed. The four engines inherited from these two concerns took GWR numbers 3-6.

1946 Renumbering By 1946, the majority of the locomotives inherited at the 1923 Grouping had been withdrawn, as had most of the older GWR engines numbered below 2000. In order to tidy up the gaps in this number range, it was decided to renumber the surviving locomotives from each pre-Grouping company together. The series used were: 1: ex-Ystalyfera Tin Works 7-9: ex-Vale of Rheidol Railway 30-96: ex-Rhymney Railway 193-399: ex-Taff Vale Railway and Barry Railway 421-436: ex-Brecon and Merthyr Railway 1140-1147: ex-Swansea Harbour Trust 1150-1153: ex-Powesland and Mason

Oil burning locomotives

In 1946/7 a number of locomotives were converted to burn oil, and some were renumbered in the process. Eleven 4900 Hall Class locos were renumbered into the 3900 range. Twelve 2800 Class 2-8-0s and eight of the 2884 Class were renumbered into the 4800 range. To make way for these, the 4800 Class 0-4-2Ts were renumbered to the 1400 range. (In addition, five 4073 Castle Class and one 4300 Class 2-6-0 were converted, but not renumbered.) All engines were converted back to coal firing by 1950, and regained their original numbers. However, the 1400s were never renumbered back to 4800s.

Application by British Railways When the GWR was nationalised as part of British Railways in 1948, its steam locomotives retained their numbers unchanged and new steam engines built to GWR designs continued to be allocated numbers in the same way as the GWR had done. However, its diesel locomotives were completely renumbered. They took numbers 15100-15107 in the 15xxx series allocated to pre-Nationalisation design diesel shunters.

see: British Rail locomotive and multiple unit numbering and classification

Summary of post-1902 class numbering

+ GWR locomotive class numbering arranged by first and second digits Legend NN00-NN99 Each section has a title showing the range of one hundred locomotive numbers it covers If any locomotive classes used numbers in that range, there will be a section for each class, as follows 5700 First there is the number the class is known by (not necessarily in this range) linked to the appropriate article or article section 2161 ( > 4500) If the class was later renumbered away from this range, the later number range will be bracketed after the number following a > sign, and the section will be shaded pink (4800 > ) 1400 If the class was renumbered into this range, the earlier number range will be bracketed before the number preceding a > sign, and the section will be shaded blue 4-6-0 County (1945) Next will come the wheel arrangement, with any name that the class (or sub-class) was known by 1901–1966 Finally there is the date range during which any of the class was numbered in this range x0 x1 x2 x3 x4 x5 x6 x7 x8 x9 0x 0000–0099 0100–0199 0200–0299 0300–0399 0400–0499 0500–0599 0600–0699