GWR 1813 Class

The Great Western Railway's 1813 Class was a series of 40 0-6-0T built at Swindon Works in two lots of 20 engines each. No. 1813 was sold to the Pembroke & Tenby Railway in May 1883 becoming No.7 Holmwood, retaining this name after being absorbed by the GWR. Nearly all of these engines spent their lives on the GWR's Southern Division.

GWR 1813 Class
No. 1813 as built with saddle tank
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer William Dean Builder GWR Swindon Works Order number Lots 59, 60 Serial number 906–945 Build date 1882-1884 Total produced 40
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-6-0T Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 4 ft 6 in (1.372 m) Wheelbase 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m) Fuel type Coal Cylinders two Cylinder size 17 in × 24 in (432 mm × 610 mm)
Career Operators Great Western Railway British Railways Retired 1937–1949 Disposition All scrapped

Construction

Table of orders and numbers

Year	Quantity	Lot No.	Works Nos.	Locomotive numbers	Notes
1882–83	20	59	906–925	1813–1832
1883–84	20	60	926–945	1834–1853

Design

This was the first 0-6-0T design of William Dean and in its concept and dimensions may be regarded as the precursor of all the larger GWR pannier tanks of the 20th century, such as the 5700 and 9400 classes:

• Inside frames
• Wheels 4 ft 6 in (1.372 m) diameter, wheelbase 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m)
• Cylinders 17 in × 24 in (432 mm × 610 mm)

Rebuilding

No. 1824 as rebuilt with Belpaire firebox and pannier tanks

From 1894 some of the 1813s were rebuilt with saddle tanks, and between 1903 and 1906, six were rebuilt with either short or full-length pannier tanks, resulting in a very early example of this type of engine. The rest were so converted between 1911 and 1925, as had become standard practice on the Great Western. The class also carried an unusually wide variety of different boilers.

British Railways

No. 1835 alone passed into British Railways stock, to be withdrawn in January 1949.

References

• Allcock, N. J.; Davies, F. K.; le Fleming, H. M.; Maskelyne, J. N.; Reed, P. J. T.; Tabor, F. J. (1968) [1951]. White, D. E. (ed.). The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway, part one: Preliminary Survey. Kenilworth: RCTS.
• le Fleming, H. M. (April 1958). White, D. E. (ed.). The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway, part five: Six-coupled Tank Engines. RCTS. ISBN 0-901115-35-5. OCLC 500544510.