Claim: GWR was at the forefront of building British locomotives in the 1900s until the 1930s, and has kept pace with the development in other countries; currently out of the six engines to be preserved, five engines have run in preservation except 6984 Owsden Hall.
Evidence: 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 many designs and production methods had not kept pace with developments elsewhere.