GWR 2884 Class

The Great Western Railway (GWR) 2884 Class is a class of 2-8-0 steam locomotive. They were Collett's development of Churchward's earlier 2800 Class and are sometimes regarded as belonging to that class.
==History==
The 2884s were designed for heavy freight work and differed from the original Class 2800 engines (Nos. 2800-2883) in a number of respects, the most obvious being that a more modern Collett side window cab was provided and that they were built with outside steam pipes.
===Production===
83 of the 2884 class were built between 1938 and 1941. Those built during the war did not have the side window to the cab, and the side window on the others was plated over. This was to reduce glare, as a precaution against enemy air attacks. The windows were reinstated after the war.
Table of orders and numbers
Year 	Quantity	Lot No.	Locomotive numbers 	Notes
1938–39	20 	321 	2884–2899, 3800–3803	
1939–40	20 	328 	3804–3823 	
1940–41	10 	334 	3824–3833 	
1941–42	10 	341 	3834–3843 	
1942 	23 	346 	3844–3866 	
The locomotives were so popular with the ex-Great Western crews that the British Railways Western Region operating authorities wanted more of the class built after nationalization in 1948; however, this request was turned down in favor of BR Standard Class 9Fs.
===Oil firing===
Between 1945 and 1947, coal shortages caused GWR to experiment with oil fired 2800 locomotives. Eight of the 2884 class were converted and renumbered from 4850. The experiment, encouraged by the government was abandoned in 1948 once the extra maintenance costs were calculated and the bill had arrived for the imported oil.
===1948 Locomotive Exchange Trials===
The year 1948 also saw one of the 2884 class, No.3803 (now preserved), emerge remarkably successfully from the 1948 Locomotive Exchange Trials against more modern engines including the LMS 8F and the WD Austerity 2-8-0 and WD Austerity 2-10-0. It took the appearance in 1954 of the British Railways BR standard class 9F 2-10-0 to displace the 2800s from their main role of mineral haulage. Nevertheless, there was still work for them right up to the end of steam on the Western region in 1965. Six decades of service testify to the fundamental excellence of Churchward's original conception.
==Withdrawal==
Table of withdrawals
Year	Quantity inservice atstart of year	Quantitywithdrawn	Cumulativequantitywithdrawn	Locomotive numbers
1962	83 	1 	1 	3827.
1963	82 	16 	17 	2888–89/92/94/97–98,3803/06/11/31/33/39/43/46/53/58.
1964	65 	32 	49 	2884–87/91/93/96,3800–01/04–05/09–10/14–15/19/21–22/24–25/28–29/32/34/38/41/45/47/52/56–57/60.
1965	32 	34 	83 	2890/95/99,3802/07–08/12–13/16–18/20/23/26/30/35–37/40/42/44/48–51/54–55/59/61–66.
==Preservation==
Nine examples of the 2884, were saved from Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales and four of these engines have operated in preservation.
Number	Year Built	Withdrawn	Location 	Status 	Image	Notes
2885 	Mar 1938 	Jan 1964 	Tyseley Locomotive Works 	Undergoing restoration 	 	Formerly on display at Birmingham Moor Street.
3802 	Dec 1938 	Aug 1965 	Llangollen Railway 	Operational, boiler ticket expires: 2027.	 	Currently paired with a 4,000 gallon Collett tender instead of the usual 3,500 gallon Churchward tender. Returned to service following an overhaul in January 2018 and now operational at Llangollen.
3803 	Jan 1939 	Jul 1963 	Dartmouth Steam Railway 	Stored 	 	Previously based at the South Devon Railway, but now sold to the Dartmouth Steam Railway.
3814 	Mar 1940 	Dec 1964 	Northern Steam Engineering Limited, Stockton-on-Tees	Undergoing restoration 	 	Currently under restoration to running condition. Moved to Llangollen Railway for restoration to continue, but subsequently moved to Northern Steam Engineering Limited at Stockton-on-Tees.
3822 	Apr 1940 	Jan 1964 	Didcot Railway Centre 	Static display 	 	Awaiting overhaul after being withdrawn from traffic in 2010. In 1989, 3822 was used in the Music video of the song Breakthru by the band Queen.
3845 	Apr 1942 	Jun 1964 	TBC 	Stored 	 	At a private site in the West Midlands awaiting restoration.
3850 	Jun 1942 	Aug 1965 	Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway 	Undergoing overhaul 	 	Originally restored at and operated at the West Somerset Railway, now moved to Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway for 10-year overhaul.
3855 	Oct 1942 	Aug 1965 	East Lancashire Railway 	Undergoing restoration 	 	Being restored from ex Barry Scrapyard condition.
3862 	Nov 1942 	Feb 1965 	Northampton & Lamport Railway 	Undergoing restoration 	 	Being restored from ex Barry Scrapyard condition to full running condition.
==Models==
* Hornby Railways manufacture a model of the 2884 Class in OO gauge.
* Dapol produce a model in N gauge.
==See also==
*List of GWR standard classes with two outside cylinders
==External links==
*The Story of the GWR 28XX 2-8-0s
*No. 3862 under restoration at Northampton and Lamport Railway
*Dinmore Manor Locomotive Ltd
== Gallery ==
File:Llangollen-railway-3802.jpg|No. 3802 pulling a goods train during the Llangollen Railway steam gala weekend in 2011.
File:3862-at-reading-west-july-1964.jpg
File:3855-in-woodhams-scrapyard-at-barry-august-1980.jpg
File:Didcot Railway Centre - geograph.org.uk - 1169693.jpg
File:West-somerset-railway.jpg
File:3850 West Somerset Railway.jpg
Category:2-8-0 locomotives
Category:2-8-0 steam locomotives
Category:Freight locomotives
Category:Tender locomotives
Category:Steam locomotives
Category:Great Western Railway locomotives
Category:Swindon Works locomotives
Category:Standard gauge steam locomotives of Great Britain
Category:Standard gauge locomotives
Category:Built in 1938
Category:Built in 1939
Category:Built in 1940
Category:Built in 1941
Category:Built in 1942
Category:Wartime locomotives
Category:GWR Standard Class locomotives