GWR 6800 Class 6880 Betton Grange - Background

Background

Inspired by the success of the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust in building the LNER Peppercorn Class A1 60163 Tornado the Llangollen Railway Society explored the possibility of recreating a new build Grange from existing parts of various locomotives, utilising the "kit of standard bits" construction approach adopted by the GWR.

After the Beeching Axe, British Railways had sold many of its steam locomotives to a number of privately owned scrap yards, the most famous of which was Woodham Brothers in Barry Island, South Wales. Whilst many of the early locomotives that were recovered from Barry were complete, later examples lacked non-ferrous fittings, pipework and valve gear, and were at worst simply frames, wheels, and a rusty boiler. Purchasers faced the dilemma of restoring their locomotive using newly fabricated parts, or dismantling it and using the parts to restore other, more complete, examples.

The Grange project represents a third approach, by using parts from scrap locomotives in a new-build project.

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