The GWR was the longest-lived of the pre-nationalization railway companies in Britain, surviving the 'Grouping' of the railways in 1923 almost unchanged. As a result, the history of its numbering and classification of locomotives is relatively complicated. This page explains the principal systems that were used.
- For information about individual classes and locomotives, see: Locomotives of the Great Western Railway
Numbering[]
Broad Gauge Era[]
From the start, the GWR gave names only to its broad gauge locomotive stock. However, many classes carried 'themed' names, e.g. stars or signs of the zodiac, which aided identification of locomotives to some extent. See List of 7-foot gauge railway locomotive names
The exception to this rule was that any broad gauge locomotives the GWR absorbed from other railways (in particular, the South Devon Railway and Bristol and Exeter Railway) were given numbers in the 2000-2199 series. This applied even where locomotives had carried names under their previous owner (indeed, these names were usually removed by the GWR) and even when the locomotives had originally belonged to the GWR and had been sold out of stock.
Towards the end of the broad gauge era, a number of locomotives were built to a design that enabled them to be easily converted from one gauge to the other (hence the term 'convertibles' used for these locomotives). These engines also carried numbers in the standard gauge series, whether or not they were running in broad gauge form.
Standard Gauge 1854-1875[]
Initially standard gauge locomotive numbering was a simple sequential system, starting from 1. Numbering in this series, which included new locomotives and those absorbed from other railways, eventually reached 1297. New locomotives were identified as being paid from either revenue or capital account. Initially an effort was made to treat the numbering of locomotives bought out of revenue differently from those out of capital, including by re-using old numbers left vacant following withdrawal, using a duplicate number system (unusually, giving the new locomotives an A suffix - other railways tended to apply such notation to the old locomotive being replaced) and, for a few years, using the series 1000 (later 1001) upwards. In 1875, the sequential system starting at 1 reached 1000 and then jumped to 1116, the other side of the latter range of numbers still carried.
Standard Gauge 1875-1902[]
Under William Dean's leadership, blocks of numbers were allocated for different locomotive types, as follows:
| Numbers | Types |
|---|---|
| 1298 to 1400 | Absorbed standard and narrow gauge locomotives |
| 1401 to 1500 | Passenger tank locomotives |
| 1501 to 2000 | Goods tank locomotives |
| 2001 to 2200 | Absorbed broad gauge locomotives (later reused for goods tank locomotives) |
| 2201 to 3000 | Goods tender locomotives |
| 3001 to 3200 | 4-2-2 express passenger locomotives |
| 3201 to 3500 | 2-4-0 and 4-4-0 express passenger locomotives |
| 3501 to 3600 | Passenger tank locomotives |
The only exceptions to these principles under Dean were use of the 20xx, 21xx, and 27xx series for goods tank engines after the end of broad gauge operations. Experimental locomotives and other small classes continued to be numbered in gaps left following withdrawals in the number series below 1000.
Standard Gauge 1902-1912[]
Under George Jackson Churchward, the system applied by William Dean broke down, and new classes simply took the next free block of hundred numbers starting at xx01, with experimental engines numbered in odd gaps in the earlier series of numbers, usually below 110.
1912 Renumbering[]
In December 1912 (the official date being 28 December), the GWR undertook a renumbering of some of its locomotives — mainly 4-4-0 classes — so that locomotives of the same class were numbered consecutively. This desirable aim was made more important following the rebuilding of some Duke and Atbara locomotives to Bulldog and City class designs. A few of the changes were connected with a decision that blocks of numbers for each class should start at xx00 rather than xx01 as previously.
| Class | Original Numbers | New Number Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atbara | 3373-3412 | 4120-4148 | 3382 scrapped 1911;3400-3409 rebuilt to City |
| Badminton | 3292-3311 | 4100-4119 | |
| Bird | 3731-3745 | 3441-3455 | |
| Bulldog (ex-Duke) | Various (from 3253-3331) | 3300-3319 | |
| Bulldog (new build) | 3332-3372, 3413-3432, 3443-3472, 3701-3730 | 3320-3440 | |
| City (ex-Atbara) | 3400-3409 | 3700-3709 | |
| City (new build) | 3433-3442 | 3710-3719 | |
| County | 3473-3482, 3801-3830 | 3800, 3831-3839 | 3801-3830 not renumbered |
| Duke | 3252-3291, 3312-3331 (various, total 40) | 3252-3291 | others rebuilt to Bulldog |
| Flower | 4101-4120 | 4149-4168 |
| Class | Wheel arrangement | Original Numbers | New Number Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 455 (Metro) | 2-4-0T | 3600 | 3500 |
| 2600 (Aberdare) | 2-6-0 | 33 | 2600 |
| 2721 | 0-6-0T | 2800 | 2700 |
| 2800 | 2-8-0 | 97 | 2800 |
| 2900 (Saint) | 4-6-0/4-4-2 | 98,100,171-190 | 2998,2900,2971-2990 |
| 3100 | 2-6-2T | 99 | 3100 |
| 3600 | 2-4-2T | 11 | 3600 |
| 4000 (Star) | 4-6-0 | 40 | 4000 |
| 4400 | 2-6-2T | 115, 3101-10 | 4400-10 |
| 4500 | 2-6-2T | 2161-90 | 4500-29 |
| Cornwall Min. Rly | 0-6-0T | 1400 | 1398 |
Standard Gauge 1912 onwards[]
From the time of the 1912 renumbering, a system was adopted for new locomotives where the second digit indicated the broad type of locomotive. For example, express passenger locomotives had x0xx numbers and large mixed traffic tender locomotives were x9xx. When a class numbered more than 100 locos, rather than continue the numbers consecutively the second digit remained constant (e.g. 4900 Class included 4900-4999, 5900-5999, and 6900 onwards).
At the same time, a change was made so that new classes usually commenced from the number xx00. There was a certain amount of renumbering so that the prototype locomotives for existing classes took the appropriate xx00 number before the series used by production locomotives. Thus, from this time on, numbers below 2000 were mainly occupied by old, absorbed or otherwise non-standard locomotives.
The steam rail motors, diesel railcars and the diesel shunters were each numbered into their own sequences, all beginning at 1. (The 1911 petrol-electric railcar was numbered 100.)
1923 Renumbering[]
In 1923, the GWR absorbed a number of small railway companies as part of the Grouping. The locomotives that it inherited were renumbered into gaps in the number series below 2199 left vacant by the withdrawal of older locomotives. Many of these engines were withdrawn after a short period of time, but those that survived in 1946 were subject to another renumbering to rationalise the system further (see below).
The bulk of the locomotives absorbed were renumbered into gaps in broad number ranges according to their wheel arrangement. Locomotives from the following railways were included in this scheme: Alexandra Docks Railway, Barry Railway, Cambrian Railways, Cardiff Railway, Midland and South Western Junction Railway, Port Talbot Railway, Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway, Rhymney Railway, South Wales Mineral Railway, Taff Vale Railway, Vale of Rheidol Railway, and Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway.
Locomotives from the Brecon and Merthyr Railway, Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway and Neath and Brecon Railway were also renumbered according to their wheel arrangement, but used a different set of number ranges.
The number ranges used for all these locomotives are set out below, but note that those engines that had previously been sold out of stock by the GWR regained their original GWR numbers, and were not allocated new numbers in these ranges:
| Wheel Arrangement | Main Number Range | BMR, BPGVR and NBR Range |
|---|---|---|
| 0-4-4T | 2-23 | |
| 2-6-0 | 24 | |
| 4-4-4T | 25-27 | |
| 0-6-2T | 30-603 | 11-1375, 1668-1833 |
| 0-6-0T | 604-843 | 2161-2199 |
| 0-6-0 | 844-1013 | |
| 4-4-0 | 1014-1128 | |
| 4-4-0T | 1129-1184 | 1392 |
| 2-4-0T | 1189-1197 | 1400-1458 |
| 2-6-2T | 1199-1213 | |
| 4-4-2T | 1301-1306 | 1391 |
| 2-4-2T | 1307-1326 | |
| 2-4-0 | 1328-1336 | |
| 0-4-0T | 1338-1343 | |
| 0-6-4T | 1344-1357 | |
| 0-8-2T | 1358-1386 | |
| 0-8-0 | 1387-1390 |
The locomotives inherited by the GWR from other concerns were renumbered as follows:
- Ex-Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway 0-6-0T engines became 28-29.
- Locomotives from the Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway, Powesland and Mason and Swansea Harbour Trust were absorbed after the original numbering series had been drawn up, and these were fitted into available gaps without reference to the original number ranges. In some case they took the numbers of other absorbed engines that had already been withdrawn.
- In the 1940s, the Corris Railway and Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway were absorbed. The four engines inherited from these two concerns took GWR numbers 3-6.
1946 Renumbering[]
By 1946, the majority of the locomotives inherited at the 1923 Grouping had been withdrawn, as had most of the older GWR engines numbered below 2000. In order to tidy up the gaps in this number range, it was decided to renumber the surviving locomotives from each pre-Grouping company together. The series used were:
- 1: ex-Ystalyfera Tin Works
- 7-9: ex-Vale of Rheidol Railway
- 30-96: ex-Rhymney Railway
- 193-399: ex-Taff Vale Railway and Barry Railway
- 421-436: ex-Brecon and Merthyr Railway
- 1140-1147: ex-Swansea Harbour Trust
- 1150-1153: ex-Powesland and Mason
Oil burning locomotives[]
In 1946/7 a number of locomotives were converted to burn oil, and some were renumbered in the process. Eleven 4900 Hall Class locos were renumbered into the 3900 range. Twelve 2800 Class 2-8-0s and eight of the 2884 Class were renumbered into the 4800 range. To make way for these, the 4800 Class 0-4-2Ts were renumbered to the 1400 range. (In addition, five 4073 Castle Class and one 4300 Class 2-6-0 were converted, but not renumbered.) All engines were converted back to coal firing by 1950, and regained their original numbers. However, the 1400s were never renumbered back to 4800s.
Application by British Railways[]
When the GWR was nationalized as part of British Railways in 1948, its steam locomotives retained their numbers unchanged and new steam engines built to GWR designs continued to be allocated numbers in the same way as the GWR had done. However, its diesel locomotives were completely renumbered. They took numbers 15100-15107 in the 15xxx series allocated to pre-Nationalization design diesel shunters.
Summary of post-1902 class numbering[]
| Legend | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NN00-NN99 | Each section has a title showing the range of one hundred locomotive numbers it covers | |||||||||
| If any locomotive classes used numbers in that range, there will be a section for each class, as follows | ||||||||||
| 5700 | First there is the number the class is known by (not necessarily in this range) linked to the appropriate article or article section | |||||||||
| 2161 ( > 4500) | If the class was later renumbered away from this range, the later number range will be bracketed after the number following a > sign, and the section will be shaded pink | |||||||||
| (4800 > ) 1400 | If the class was renumbered into this range, the earlier number range will be bracketed before the number preceding a > sign, and the section will be shaded blue | |||||||||
| 4-6-0 County (1945) | Next will come the wheel arrangement, with any name that the class (or sub-class) was known by | |||||||||
| 1901–1966 | Finally there is the date range during which any of the class was numbered in this range | |||||||||
| x0 | x1 | x2 | x3 | x4 | x5 | x6 | x7 | x8 | x9 | |
| 0x | 0000–0099
|
0100–0199 111
4-6-2 The Great Bear 1908–1924 |
0200–0299
|
0300–0399
|
0400–0499
|
0500–0599
|
0600–0699
|
0700–0799
|
0800–0899
|
0900–0999
|
| 1x | 1000–1099 10004-6-0 County (1945)1945–1964
|
1100–1199 11010-4-0T1926–1964
|
1200–1299
|
1300–1399 13610-6-0ST1910–1962 13660-6-0PT1934–1964
|
1400–1499 (4800 > ) 14000-4-2T1946–1964
|
1500–1599 15000-6-0PT1949–1963
|
1600–1699 16000-6-0PT1949–1966
|
1700–1799
|
1800–1899
|
1900–1999
|
| 2x | 2000–2099
|
2100–2199 2161 ( > 4500)2-6-2T1906–1912
|
2200–2299 22214-4-2T County Tank1905–1935 22510-6-01930–1965
|
2300–2399
|
2400–2499
|
2500–2599
|
2600–2699 26002-6-0 Aberdare1901–1949
|
2700–2799 27210-6-0ST/PT1897–1950
|
2800–2899 28002-8-01903–1965 28842-8-01938–1965
|
2900–2999 29004-6-0-Saint1903–1953
|
| 3x | 3000–3099
|
3100–2199 3100 ( > 5100)
2-6-2T 1903–19273150
2-6-2T 1906–19583100 (1938)
2-6-2T 1938–1960 |
3200–3299 3292 ( > 4100)4-4-0 Badminton1897–1912 3200 ( > 9000)4-4-0 Earl (Dukedog)1936–1946 22510-6-01946–1965
|
3300–3399 3300 ( > 4100)4-4-0 Badminton????–1912 3373 ( > 4120)4-4-0 Atbara1900–1912 33004-4-0 Bulldog19–19
|
3400–3499 3400 ( > 4120)4-4-0 Atbara19??–1912 3400 ( > 3700)4-4-0 City1901–1912 3400 ( > 3800)4-4-0 County1904–1912 (3700 > ) 3400)4-4-0 Bird1912–1951 94000-6-0PT1955–1964
|
3500–3599 35214-4-01887–1934 35710-4-2T1895–1949
|
3600–3699 36002-4-2T 'Birdcage' 1902–1934 57000-6-0PT1938–1966
|
3700–3799 3700 ( > 3400)4-4-0 Bird1909–1912 (3400 > ) 37004-4-0 City1912–1931 57000-6-0PT1936–1966
|
3800–3899 (3400 > ) 38004-4-0 County1906–1933 28842-8-01938–1965
|
3900–3999 39012-6-2T1907–1934 (4900 > ) 3900 ( > 4900)4-6-0 Hall1946–1950
|
| 4x | 4000–4099 40004-6-0 Star1906–1957 40734-6-0 Castle1923–1964
|
4100–4199 4101 > 41494-4-0 Flower1910–1931 (3292,3300 > ) 41004-4-0 Badminton1912–19?? (3373,3410 > ) 41204-4-0 Atbara1912–1931 51012-6-2T1935–1965
|
4200–4299 42002-8-0T1910–1965
|
4300–4399 43002-6-01911–1959
|
4400–4499 44002-6-2T1905–1955
|
4500–4599 (2161 > ) 45002-6-2T1912–1964 45752-6-2T1927–1964
|
4600–4699 46004-4-2T1913–1925 57000-6-0PT1940–1966
|
4700–4799 47002-8-01919–1964
|
4800–4899 4800 ( > 1400)0-4-2T1932–1946 (2800 > ) 4800 ( > 2800)2-8-01946–1950 (2884 > ) 4800 ( > 2884)2-8-01946–1949
|
4900–4999 49004-6-0 Hall1928–1965
|
| 5x | 5000–5099 40734-6-0 Castle1926–1965
|
5100–5199 (3100 > ) 51002-6-2T1927–1959 51012-6-2T1929–1964
|
5200–5299 42002-8-0T1922–1965 52052-8-0T1923–1965
|
5300–5399 43002-6-01916–1964
|
5400–5499 54000-6-0PT1930–1963
|
5500–5599 45752-6-2T1927–1964
|
5600–5699 56000-6-2T1924–1966
|
5700–5799 57000-6-0PT1929–1963
|
5800–5899 58000-4-2T1933–1959
|
5900–5999 49004-6-0 Hall1931–1965
|
| 6x | 6000–6099 60004-6-0 King1927–1962
|
6100–6199 61002-6-2T1931–1965
|
6200–6299
|
6300–6399 43002-6-01920–1964
|
6400–6499 64000-6-0PT1932–1964
|
6500–6599
|
6600–6699 56000-6-2T1927–1965
|
6700–6799 57000-6-0PT "6700"1930–1965
|
6800–6899 68004-6-0 Grange1936–1965
|
6900–6999 49004-6-0 Hall1940–1965 69594-6-0 Modified Hall1944–1965
|
| 7x | 7000–7099 40734-6-0 Castle1946–1965
|
7100–7199
|
7200–7299 72002-8-2T1934–1965
|
7300–7399 43002-6-01921–1964
|
7400–7499 64000-6-0PT1936–1965
|
7500–7599
|
7600–7699
|
7700–7799 57000-6-0PT1930–1964
|
7800–7899 78004-6-0 Manor1938–1965
|
7900–7999 69594-6-0 Modified Hall1948–1965
|
| 8x | 8000–8099
|
8100–8199 51002-6-2T "8100"1938–1965
|
8200–8299
|
8300–8399 43002-6-0 "8300"1927–1948
|
8400–8499 94000-6-0PT1949–1965
|
8500–8599
|
8600–8699
|
8700–8799 57000-6-0PT "8750"1930–1966
|
8800–8899
|
8900–8999
|
| 9x | 9000–9099 (3200 > ) 90004-4-0 Earl (Dukedog)1946–1960
|
9100–9199
|
9200–9299
|
9300–9399 4300 ( > 7300)2-6-01932–1959
|
9400–9499 94000-6-0PT1947–1965
|
9500–9599
|
9600–9699 57000-6-0PT1943–1966
|
9700–9799 57000-6-0PT "9700"1933–1966
|
9800–9899
|
9900–9999
|
Classification[]
A very simple system was adopted, whereby the name (for broad-gauge locomotives) or number of the first locomotive in a class became the classification for all locomotives in that class (e.g. 'Sun Class', '4000 Class'). After the end of the broad gauge, names were applied to principal passenger and mixed-traffic standard-gauge locomotives. These were often based on a single theme, which could also lend its name to describe a class, for example 'Stars', also known as the '4000 Class', whose names included 'North Star', 'Rising Star' etc.
However, the classes of locomotives inherited at the Grouping in 1923 continued to be referred to by the classification allocated to them by their original owner.