# GWR 5101 Class

The GWR 5101 Class or 'Large Prairie' is a class of 2-6-2T steam locomotives of the Great Western Railway.

## History

The 5101 Class were medium-sized tank engines used for suburban and local passenger services all over the Great Western Railway system. The class was an updated version, by Collett, of Churchward's 1903 3100/5100 Class.
The original 40 members of the 3100 class were renumbered 5100 and 5111 to 5149 in 1927. The first batches of 5101s filled in the numbers 5101 to 5110 and extended the class from 5150 to 5189. They were little changed from the Churchward locomotives as they then were, but had an increased axle loading of 17 long tons 12 cwt (39,400 lb or 17.9 t); the maximum permitted for the ‘Blue’ route availability. Bunkers were of the standard Collett design with greater coal capacity. The 5100 number series was exhausted in 1934, and further new locomotives were numbered from 4100. The last 20 were built after nationalisation.
Table of orders and numbers :
| Year | Quantity | Lot No. | Locomotive numbers |
| 1929 | 10 | 257 | 5101–5110 |
| 1930 | 10 | 257 | 5150–5159 |
| 1930 | 13 | 259 | 5160–5172 |
| 1931 | 17 | 259 | 5173–5189 |
| 1934 | 10 | 284 | 5190–5199 |
| 1935 | 10 | 292 | 4100–4109 |
| 1936 | 10 | 292 | 4110–4119 |
| 1937 | 02 | 313 | 4120–4121 |
| 1938 | 08 | 313 | 4122–4129 |
| 1939 | 10 | 323 | 4130–4139 |
| 1946 | 10 | 335 | 4140–4149 |
| 1947 | 10 | 361 | 4150–4159 |
| 1948 | 10 | 369 | 4160–4169 |
| 1949 | 10 | 369 | 4170–4179 |
As both freight and passenger traffic on branch lines declined post-World War II with increasing volumes of private motor cars, and replacement on urban services by diesel-powered rail cars, the bulk of the class found itself allocated to various mainline support duties, mainly banking and piloting, often on the South Devon Banks on the Exeter to Plymouth Line, or around the Severn Tunnel on the South Wales Main Line.
A number of the class - 4110, 4115, 4121, 4144, 4150, 4156 and 4160 - ended their operational lives allocated to the major locomotive shed (88E) at Severn Tunnel Junction, undertaking piloting and banking duties through both the Severn Tunnel and the associated goods yard. Assistance was needed by all heavy trains through the Severn Tunnel, which entailed: 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of 1-in-90 down to the middle of the tunnel; then a further 3.5 miles (5.6 km) at 1-in-100 up to Pilning; a short level then 3.5 miles (5.6 km) more at 1-in-100 to Patchway. However, the pilot locomotive usually came off at Pilning. Several of this group were sold for scrap to Woodham Brothers and consequently have survived into preservation.

## Accidents and incidents

* On 30 November 1948, locomotive 4150 was running round its train at Lapworth when it was in collision with a passenger train hauled by 5022 Wigmore Castle, which had overrun signals. Eight passengers were injured.

## Withdrawal

The below list shows when all of the original 5101's and later 4100's were withdrawn from service.
Table of withdrawals :
| Year | Quantity in service at start of year | Number withdrawn | Quantity withdrawn | Locomotive numbers | Notes |
| 1956 | 140 | 1 | 1 | 5159. | |
| 1957 | 139 | 5 | 6 | 5107/09/56–57/61. | |
| 1958 | 134 | 10 | 16 | 4138–39, 5105/08/60/62/65/68/71–72. | |
| 1959 | 124 | 4 | 20 | 5170/86/89/96. | |
| 1960 | 120 | 16 | 36 | 4162/64/70, 5102–04/06/10/50/55/63/69/78–79/85/97. | |
| 1961 | 104 | 11 | 47 | 4117/23, 5158/66/74–77/94–95/98. | |
| 1962 | 93 | 22 | 69 | 4102/06/12/16/18/26/29/45–46/52/63, 5151/67/73/80–83/87–88/90/93. | 5193 preserved |
| 1963 | 71 | 14 | 83 | 4114/19/27/34/40–42/49, 5101/52/54/64/92/99. | 4141, 5164, 5199 preserved |
| 1964 | 57 | 28 | 111 | 4101/03–05/08–09/20/22/24/28/30–33/35–37/43/53/59/66–67/71/73–74, 5153/84/91. | |
| 1965 | 29 | 29 | 140 | 4100/07/10–11/13/15/21/25/44/47–48/50–51/54–58/60–61/65/68–69/72/75–79. | 4110, 4115, 4121, 4144, 4150, 4160 preserved |

## Preservation

Ten of the class were preserved after withdrawal in the 1960s (six built in the 1930s before World War II and four built after the war in the late 1940s, one of which under the British Railways banner). As of 2023, six have run in preservation, one is under restoration, one is still in scrapyard condition, one has acted as a donor locomotive for other projects, and one has been rebuilt into a tender engine:
| Number | Built | Withdrawn | Service Life | Owner | Current Location | Status | Livery | Notes |
| 5164 | Nov 1930 | Apr 1963 | 32 Years, 5 months | Erlestoke Manor Fund | Tyseley Locomotive Works | Stored | GWR Unlined Green, Great Western Lettering | Normally located at the Severn Valley Railway but on static display at Barrow Hill MPD since 2014 following expiry of boiler certificate on 5 January 2014. Ownership transferred to the Erlestoke Manor Fund in 2021; as of January 2022 plans to overhaul the locomotive are underway. The engine was moved from Barrow Hill Engine Shed to Tyseley Locomotive Works for assessment in November 2023. |
| 5193 | Oct 1934 | Jun 1962 | 27 Years, 8 months | West Somerset Railway plc | West Somerset Railway | Operational (Donor locomotive) | BR Lined Green, Early Emblem | Originally built in 1934, withdrawn in 1962 and recovered from Woodham Brothers scrapyard in 1979. Rebuilt by the West Somerset Railway into a 2-6-0 resembling a small boilered version of the GWR 4300 Class, which has been numbered 9351. Returned to service in 2019 following an overhaul. |
| 5199 | Nov 1934 | Mar 1963 | 28 Years, 3 months | 5199 Project | West Somerset Railway | Operational | GWR Unlined Green, Great Western Lettering | Overhaul completed 23 November 2014. Repainted into GWR Green livery in 2021. |
| 4110 | Oct 1936 | Jun 1965 | 28 Years, 8 months | Dartmouth Steam Railway | East Somerset Railway | Operational | BR Unlined Green, Late Crest | Sold in May 2015 by GWR Preservation Group Limited of Southall Railway Centre to WSR plc. Sold again in January 2019 to the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway. It was sent to the East Somerset Railway in January 2020. Returned to steam in 2023 |
| 4115 | Oct 1936 | Jun 1965 | 28 Years, 8 months | Great Western Society | Didcot Railway Centre | Donor locomotive, frames scrapped in 2016. | | Built October 1936, withdrawn from service in June 1965. One of the "Barry Ten", she was sold to the Great Western Society, Didcot in 2010, to act as a donor locomotive. Its frames were scrapped in 2016: |
| 4121 | Dec 1937 | Jun 1965 | 27 Years, 6 months | | Tyseley Locomotive Works | Unrestored, partially stripped | N/A | Stored at Tyseley in a partially stripped down state |
| 4141 | Aug 1946 | Mar 1963 | 16 Years, 7 months | Roger Wright | Epping Ongar Railway | Awaiting completion of repairs | BR Lined Green, Late Crest | Returned to steam in 2012 after an overhaul, but currently out of service awaiting boiler repairs. |
| 4144 | Sept 1946 | Jun 1965 | 18 Years, 8 months | Great Western Society | Didcot Railway Centre | Operational | GWR Unlined Green, GWR Lettering | Returned to steam in 2015 after an overhaul. Loaned to the Kent & East Sussex Railway for the 2020 season. Returned to Didcot Railway Centre before visiting other railways. At the Kent & East Sussex Railway for the Santa’s in 2021. Operational at the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway as of the summer of 2023. |
| 4150 | Jun 1947 | Jun 1965 | 17 Years, 11 months | 4150 Fund | Severn Valley Railway | Restoration in progress | N/A | |
| 4160 | Sept 1948 | Jun 1965 | 16 Years, 8 months | 4160 Ltd | South Devon Railway | Under Overhaul | N/A | Overhauled in 2007, previously operated on the West Somerset Railway. Sent to the Llangollen Railway in January 2016 for overhaul. Moved to the South Devon Railway for the completion of its overhaul, upon which it shall become a resident of the line under the custodianship of 5542 Ltd. |

## Models

Graham Farish manufacture a model of the Large Prairie in N scale. Hornby have manufactured two models of the class in 00 gauge in both Great Western and British railway liveries; the first was based on a 1980's Airfix model of the engine, the second was a 2020 re-tooled model with a 5 pole motor. Dapol have a 00 gauge model due for release in q4 2021; this has both GWR and BR livery versions planned. Heljan are planning on producing a model of the large prairie in O gauge in 2017. Sonic Models have announced they producing an N scale model, due for release in April/May.