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Not to be confused with the GWR 3300 "Bulldog" Class of which the Birds derive from.


The Great Western Railway 3441 Class were 4-4-0 tender steam locomotives.


History[]

The GWR 3441 class was the last variation of the GWR 3300 "Bulldog" class by William Dean and were nicknamed the Bird class and were designed George Jackson Churchward. They had much deeper frames with harder trailing axle-boxes, but keeping the same diameter of driving wheels but new a type of bogie (trailing wheels) based upon a French design by Alfred de Glehn.[1][2][3][4][5] They also had the later none-fluted side rods and larger sandboxes. Screw reverse was fitted to the class, being the first class since the Duke class to use said fittings. The boilers of the class were the long taper long cone GWR Standard No. 2 unlike the Bulldogs which had Standard No. 3s. They weren't originally superheated but were built with longer smokeboxes together with common copper-caped chimneys.[1]

The Bird class began to be superheated from 1911 onwards. All other technical aspects were identical to the Bulldog class. All of the Bird class were built new at Swindon Works in 1909 to 1910 and were all renumbered in 1912.[1]

Withdrawals started in April 1948 and the last two of the class were withdrawn on the 7th of November in 1951 still carrying their GWR number while in British Railways service. The locomotives mainly served on both Great Western mainline and other major lines throughout the Midlands, Cotswolds and Wales pulling commuter passenger trains.[4]


Preservation[]

The first of the class to be withdrawn in 1948 was No.3452 'Penguin' and the last two to be withdrawn were No.3453 'Seagull' and No.3454 'Skylark' in 1951 with none of the total fifteen locomotives being preserved. No new build projects are in the process as of mid-November in 2022.[1][4][5]


List of Locomotives[]

Class list of locomotives of the 3441 "Bird" class.[1][3][4][5]
Image: Name: No. Built: Builder: b/n No. Status:
- Blackbird 3441

(Formerly No.3731)

April, 1909 Swindon Works 2350 Scrapped, 1949
- Bullfinch 3442

(Formerly No.3732)

April, 1909 Swindon Works 2351 Scrapped, 1948
- Chaffinch 3443

(Formerly No.3733)

April, 1909 Swindon Works 2352 Scrapped, c.1949
- Cormorant 3444

(Formerly No.3734)

April, 1909 Swindon Works 2353 Scrapped, 1951
- Flamingo 3445

(Formerly No.3735)

April, 1909 Swindon Works 2354 Scrapped, 1948
- Goldfinch 3446

(Formerly No.3736)

November, 1909 Swindon Works 2355 Scrapped, c.1948
- Jackdaw 3447

(Formerly No.3737)

December, 1909 Swindon Works 2356 Scrapped, 1951
- Kingfisher 3448

(Formerly No.3738)

December, 1909 Swindon Works 2357 Scrapped, 1949
- Nightingale 3449

(Formerly No.3739)

December, 1909 Swindon Works 2358 Scrapped, 1951
- Peacock 3450

(Formerly No.3740)

December, 1909 Swindon Works 2359 Scrapped, c.1949
- Pelican 3451

(Formerly No.3741)

January, 1910 Swindon Works 2360 Scrapped, 1951
- Penguin 3452

(Formerly No.3742)

January, 1910 Swindon Works 2361 Scrapped, 1948
- Seagull 3453

(Formerly No.3743)

January, 1910 Swindon Works 2362 Scrapped, 1951
- Skylark 3454

(Formerly No.3744)

January, 1910 Swindon Works 2363 Scrapped, 1951
- Starling 3455

(Formerly No.3745)

January, 1910 Swindon Works 2364 Scrapped, 1950


Bibliography[]

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