GWR 1361 Class - History

History

The 1361 Class were designed by Harold Holcroft, the Great Western Railway's Chief Draughtsman, by adapting the 1392 Class, originally built in 1874 for the Cornwall Minerals Railway, to conform to George Jackson Churchward's standardisation policy (Churchward was the Chief Mechanical Engineer). As such they combined unusual and outdated elements, such as saddle tanks and Allan valve gear, with current Great Western details such the cab. By 1910 the railway was busy converting all its old saddle tank locomotives to carry pannier tanks. The 11 ft 0 in (3.35 m) wheelbase allowed them to negotiate 2 chains (132 ft; 40 m) radius curves, a feature necessary for their intended duties in docks and on lightly laid branch lines.

The five locomotives were built at Swindon in 1910 and were set to work alongside the ex-Cornwall Minerals Railway locomotives. Their usual home was Plymouth Millbay, Devon, (later Laira shed) from where they worked in Millbay Docks and on the Sutton Harbour branch. Until 1928 some of the locomotives could also be found at St Blazey engine shed, Cornwall, where they worked on ex-Cornwall Minerals Railway branches, and also at Moorswater for working the Looe branch.

In 1920 one locomotive was transferred to Newton Abbot, Devon, for shunting the railway workshops there, a duty that was to continue until 1952. Other allocations were Taunton (1953–1961) for working at Bridgwater, Somerset, (again, mainly in the town's docks), and Swindon (1956–1961). One was tried briefly on the Weymouth Harbour Tramway in 1949, and another went to St Philips Marsh, Bristol in 1962.

The same basic design was used for the six 1366 Class locomotives built in 1934, but this time they were fitted with pannier tanks. When the 1361s were withdrawn their remaining duties were given to D2000 diesel shunters.