The Great Western Railway (GWR) 4900 Class or "Hall Class" is a type of rebuilt 4-6-0 steam locomotive designed by Charles Collett, for 'Mixed Traffic' applications.
They were all named after English and Welsh country houses with 'Hall' in their titles and so became known as the 'Hall Class'.
The class were built from 1928 to 1943. The further "Modified Hall Class" locomotives were built until 1950.
History[]
The prototype was the No. 4900 Saint Martin, which was a rebuild of No. 2925 Saint Martin, which was a GWR Saint Class locomotive. No. 4900 rolled out of Swindon Works in 1924.
Following three years of testing and improving, Collett placed an order with the Swindon Works, for the Hall Class. The first locomotives entered service in 1928. Though the Hall Class locomotives differ even to their prototype, the 4900 Class can be seen as a continuation of the 2900 "Saint" Class. There were about 259 "Halls" made.
On April 30, 1941, No. 4911 Bowden Hall took a direct hit during a bombing raid on the Keyham area of Plymouth and was later broken up.
Eventually the remaining members of the class were withdrawn from active service from 1959 - 1966.
Preservation[]
Eleven members of the class have survived into preservation with all of them being rescued from the Woodham Brothers Scrapyard. Seven engines have run in preservation with all except 4920 Dumbleton Hall having operated on the mainline in preservation. 4942 in rebuilt form as 2999 Lady of Legend has operated in preservation but the remaining engines 4979 Wootton Hall, 5952 Cogan Hall and 5967 Bickmarsh Hall haven't yet run in preservation and are in the process of undergoing restoration from scrapyard condition.
In March 2024 it was confirmed that 4965 Rood Ashton Hall is to be converted to oil-firing during it's next overhaul. Eleven of the class we're converted to oil-firing between 1946 and 1950 with all returning to coal fired by 1950.
| Image | Number | Name | Built | Withdrawn | Tender fitted | Owner | Livery | Home Base | Current status | Oil Fired | Mainline Certified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
4920 | Dumbleton Hall | March 1929 | December 1965 | Collett | West Coast Railways | Hogwarts Lined Red | Warner Bros Studio Tour in Tokyo, Japan | Static display | No | No |
|
4930 | Hagley Hall | May 1929 | December 1963 | Collett | Severn Valley Railway | GWR Lined Green | Severn Valley Railway | Operational | No | No |
|
4936 | Kinlet Hall | June 1929 | January 1964 | Collett | Jon Jones Pratt | BR Lined Green, Late Crest | Tyseley Locomotive Works | Undergoing Overhaul | No | No, to be Certified |
|
4942 | Maindy Hall | July 1929 | December 1963 | Churchward | Didcot Railway Centre | GWR Lined Green, Garter Crest | Didcot Railway Centre | Rebuilt into GWR 2900 Class No. 2999 Lady of Legend. | No | No |
|
4953 | Pitchford Hall | August 1929 | May 1963 | Collett | Epping Ongar Railway | BR Lined Black, Early Emblem | Epping Ongar Railway | Operational | No | No |
|
4965 | Rood Aston Hall | November 1930 | March 1962 | Churchward | Tyseley Locomotive Works | GWR Lined Green, Coat of Arms | Tyseley Locomotive Works | Undergoing Overhaul | Yes (Undergoing conversion during overhaul) | No, to be Certified |
|
4979 | Wooton Hall | February 1930 | December 1963 | Collett | Furness Railway Trust | Ribble Steam Railway | Undergoing Restoration | No | No | |
|
5900 | Hinderton Hall | March 1931 | December 1963 | Collett | Didcot Railway Centre | GWR Lined Green, Coat of Arms | Didcot Railway Centre | Static Display | No | No |
|
5952 | Cogan Hall | December 1935 | June 1964 | Collett | Betton Grange Society | Tyseley Locomotive Works | Awaiting Cosmetic Restoration | No | No | |
|
5967 | Bickmarsh Hall | March 1937 | June 1964 | Collett | Northampton and Lamport Railway | Northampton & Lamport Railway | Undergoing Restoration | No | No | |
|
5972 | Olton Hall | April 1937 | December 1963 | Collett | West Coast Railways | Hogwarts Lined Red | Warner Brothers Studio Tour in London | Static Display | No | No |
In Popular Culture[]
- No. 4930 Hagley Hall was featured in the 1986 documentary "Steam Days".
- No. 5972 Olton Hall is famous for its appearances in the "Harry Potter" film series and the 2023 video game "Hogwarts Legacy" as the fictional "Hogwarts Express".
Trivia[]
- The Hall Class steam locomotives are actually rebuilt from numerous types of Great Western Railway standard (tender) steam locomotives. Such as the 3700 "City" Class.
- No. 4965 Rood Ashton Hall is to become the first oil fired member of the class in preservation. It's conversion from coal to oil firing is being undertook during it's overhaul commencing in 2024.
- No. 4965 Rood Ashton Hall when first rescued from Barry Scrapyard in 1970 was first assumed to be classmate 4983 Albert Hall, it's true identity was discovered in 1998 during the final stages of it's restoration and the engine emerged as 4965 on completion. The engine was also restored with a 3,500 gallon Churchward tender instead of the normal 4,000 gallon Collett tender.