GWR 4900 Class

By the end of 1923 the Great Western Railway (GWR) was well served with express passenger locomotives of the Saint and Star classes and had recently introduced the Castle Class. However the mixed traffic 2-6-0 locomotives of the 4300 Class were beginning to struggle with the increasing loads. George Jackson Churchward had recognised this with the introduction of the 4700 class 2-8-0 with 5 ft 8 in (1.727 m) driving wheels, intended for express goods and relief passenger trains. However, Charles Collett preferred the idea of a Saint Class with smaller wheels to undertake these duties as this would provide a leading bogie. He therefore rebuilt number 2925 Saint Martin with 6 ft (1.829 m) driving wheels.[1]

After extensive trials during 1925-1927, Collett was satisfied with the performance of his prototype, subject to minor amendments and placed an order for eighty more with Swindon works (Lot 254) in 1928. The prototype was renumbered 4900 in December 1928 and the new locomotives were numbered 4901-80 and appeared at regular intervals until February 1930.[2] They were named after English and Welsh country houses with 'Hall' in their titles and so became known as the 'Hall Class'.[3]

They differed little from the prototype; the bogie wheel diameter had been reduced by two inches from 3 ft 2 in (0.965 m) to 3 ft 0 in (0.914 m) and the valve setting amended to give an increased travel of 7.5 in (191 mm). The overall weight of the locomotive had increased by 2 long tons 10 cwt (5,600 lb or 2.5 t) to 75 long tons 0 cwt (168,000 lb or 76.2 t) but a tractive effort of 27,275 lbf (121.33 kN) compared favourably with the 24,935 lbf (110.92 kN) of the 'Saint'. The original locomotives were built with Churchward 3,500 imp gal (16,000 l; 4,200 US gal) tenders but after 4958 Collett's larger 4,000 imp gal (18,000 l; 4,800 US gal) types became standard although a few later locomotives were fitted with smaller tenders if these were available as they entered service.[4]

The first fourteen examples were despatched to the arduous proving grounds of the Cornish Main Line. They were so successful here and elsewhere on the GWR system that by the time the first production batch had been completed a further twenty were on order (Lot 268, 4981-99 and 5900). Further orders followed throughout the 1930s and early 1940s. By 1935, 150 were in service and the 259th and last Hall, No. 6958 Oxburgh Hall, was delivered in 1943. Thereafter further deliveries were of the '6959 Modified Hall' class.

As indicated by their continuing production, the Hall class proved to be very successful in a variety of different roles, although barred from several cross-country and branch lines because of their red weight classification. According to Peter Herring, 'they were the first true mixed traffic locomotives, and as such precursors of the Stanier 'Black Five', Thompson B1 and BR Standard 5MT 4-6-0.'[6] (However, while they were forerunners of these highly successful and numerous 4-6-0 types, there were several successful 2-6-0 and 4-6-0 ‘mixed traffic’ types on the GWR and other British railways before them,[7] - not least the GWR 4300 Class they were designed to replace.[8])

Although the GWR had been at the forefront of British locomotive development between 1900 and 1930, the 1930s saw a degree of complacency at Swindon reflected in the fact that the design had largely originated in the 1900s and had not fundamentally changed since the mid 1920s.[9] Collett was replaced by Frederick Hawksworth in 1941 who created a modified version of the design, known as the Modified Hall Class. These continued to be produced by British Railways until 1950, by which time there were a further seventy-one locomotives.

• On 30 April 1941, 4911 Bowden Hall took a direct hit during a bombing raid on the Keyham area of Plymouth and was later broken up.[10] The locomotive had stopped at a signal box because of an air raid, and the crew survived by sheltering under the steps of the signal box.[11] 4911 was one of two GWR locomotives damaged beyond repair in Britain during World War II, the other was GWR 1854 Class No. 1729. 4936 Kinlet Hall, ran into a bomb crater in that area and was severely damaged, but was repaired.[12]
• On 13 February 1961, 6949 Haberfield Hall was in collision with a freight train that was being shunted at Baschurch, due to a signalman's error. Three people were killed and two were injured.[13]
• On 25 August 1962, a passenger train stopped at Torquay, due to the failure of the locomotive hauling it. 4932 Hatherton Hall was hauling a passenger train that overran signals and was in a rear-end collision with it. Twenty-three people were injured.[14]

All but one of the original Collett Halls survived until nationalisation in 1948, the exception being 4911 Bowden Hall. Withdrawals began in 1959 with the prototype Saint Martin. Its accumulated mileage, both in its original form and rebuilt form, was a remarkable 2,092,500 miles. Further withdrawals of the production series took place during the 1960s and the class was extinct by 1965.

By 1965 the last Hall had been withdrawn from the Western Region without a single one entering the National Collection. Eleven examples of the Hall class have survived to preservation with all being rescued from Barry Island Scrapyard, seven of which have run in preservation. Of the engines which haven't yet operated in preservation, 4942 Maindy Hall has been "regressed" back to a GWR Saint Class, 4979 Wootton Hall is undergoing restoration at the Ribble Steam Railway with work currently focusing on the engine's tender, 5952 Cogan Hall is awaiting restoration at the Llangollen Railway with a small number of parts being used in the construction of 6880 Betton Grange and 5967 Bickmarsh Hall is undergoing restoration at the Northampton & Lamport Railway.

Of the remaining seven Halls which have run in preservation, six have been operated on the main line: 4930 Hagley Hall, 4936 Kinlet Hall, 4953 Pitchford Hall, 4965 Rood Ashton Hall, 5900 Hinderton Hall and 5972 Olton Hall. 5972 Olton Hall has gained fame as the locomotive used in the Harry Potter film series.

In January 2020 no Halls were operational on the main line. 4936 Kinlet Hall is undergoing a Network Rail standard overhaul at Tyseley Locomotive Works.

Number	Name	Image	Built	Withdrawn	Owner	Base	Status	Livery	Mainline Certified	Notes
4920	Dumbleton Hall		March 1929	December 1965	Private Owner	South Devon Railway	Stored	GWR Lined Green, GW Lettering	No	operational 1992-1999[15] Sold from SDR to new owner in December 2020.[16]
4930	Hagley Hall		May 1929	December 1963	Severn Valley Railway	Severn Valley Railway	Undergoing overhaul		No
4936	Kinlet Hall		June 1929	January 1964	West Somerset Railway	Tyseley Locomotive Works.	Undergoing overhaul	BR Lined Green, Late Crest (on completion)	No (to be certified)
4942	Maindy Hall		July 1929	December 1963	Didcot Railway Centre	Didcot Railway Centre	Operational	GWR Lined Green, Great Western Lettering	No	Rebuilt into GWR 2900 Class no 2999 Lady of Legend
4953	Pitchford Hall		August 1929	May 1963	Epping Ongar Railway	Epping Ongar Railway	Operational	BR Lined Black, Early Emblem	No	Returned to traffic in December 2019.
4965	Rood Ashton Hall		November 1930	March 1962	Vintage Trains	Tyseley Locomotive Works	Awaiting overhaul	GWR Lined Green, Great Western Lettering	No (to be certified)	Used parts from 4983 Albert Hall, and was named Albert Hall on one side when entered service in preservation[17] main line certified 1999-2019
4979	Wootton Hall		February 1930	December 1963	Furness Railway Trust	Ribble Steam Railway	Undergoing restoration		No
5900	Hinderton Hall		March 1931	December 1963	Didcot Railway Centre	Didcot Railway Centre	Static display	GWR Lined Green, Great Western Lettering	No	Was used in the 1970s to haul nine vintage ex-GWR carriages on the main line from Didcot.[18]
5952	Cogan Hall		December 1935	June 1964	Betton Grange Society	Llangollen Railway	Stored		No	Tender and other minor parts used on 6880 Betton Grange. Restoration to commence following the completion of 6880.
5967	Bickmarsh Hall		March 1937	June 1964	Nortampton & Lamport Railway	Northampton & Lamport Railway	Under restoration		No
5972	Olton Hall		April 1937	December 1963	West Coast Railways	Warner Brothers Studio Tours	Static display	Hogwarts Railway's Crimson, Hogwarts Railway's Crest	No	Used in the Harry Potter films, renamed Hogwarts Castle for filming

• List of GWR standard classes with two outside cylinders

• Haresnape, Brian (1978). Collett & Hawksworth Locomotives, A Pictorial History. Ian Allan Ltd. ISBN 0-7110-0869-8.
• Whitehurst, Brian (1973). Great Western Engines, Names, Numbers, Types and Classes (1940 to Preservation). Oxford, UK: Oxford Publishing Company. pp. 42–44, 53–55, 62–63. 103, 144. ISBN 978-0-9028-8821-0. OCLC 815661.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to GWR 4900 Class.

• Great Western archives - Hall class
• Friends of Locomotive 4930 Hagley Hall
• 4936 Kinlet Hall Group
• The Furness Railway Trust's Wooton Hall webpage