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Four-Coupled Tank Locomotive Classes Built by the Great Western Railway (Hardback)

Transport > Trains & Railways

By David Maidment
Imprint: Pen & Sword Transport
Series: Locomotive Portfolios
Pages: 184
ISBN: 9781399022569
Published: 6th March 2023

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This book is a comprehensive history of all twenty-six classes of four coupled tank engines commissioned by the Great Western Railway or built at their Wolverhampton and Swindon Works, from the Broad Gauge 2-4-0 and 4-4-0 tanks of the 1840s and 1850s to the well known Collett 0-4-2 branch line engines of classes 48XX (later renumbered 14XX) and 58XX of the 1930s. As well as the Broad Gauge engines, the strange looking ‘Covertibles’ of William Dean, a number of experimental ‘one-off’ designs, the numerous Wolverhampton 0-4-2Ts of the ‘517’ class and the Swindon built ‘2-4-0 ‘Metro Tanks’ are described with – where known – their allocation and operation. The book includes twenty weight diagrams and nearly 300 photographs, over 50 in colour. The four-coupled tank engines absorbed by the Great Western from other companies at or before 1923 will be featured in a separate volume to follow.

"Another useful volume in the series for the photos alone."

6024 Preservation Society

"...it is superb. The sheer variety of locomotive designs, unusual images, information, and asides for context turn this from being a profile book into a beautiful slice of railway history. More of these please."

5 Stars

Steam Railway Magazine - ISSUE 550 • OCTOBER 13 – NOVEMBER 9 2023

"...this is an enjoyable book..."

Welsh Railways Research Circle - Newsletter No. 174, Summer 2023

"This is another excellent book up to the author’s normal high standard. It will be of particular interest to those interested in Great Western locomotives, and to railway modellers."

NRM Review

Given the enduring appeal of GWR four-coupled tank locos it’s surprising that it has taken so long for this group of engines to be added to Pen & Sword’s excellent ‘Locomotive Profiles’ series. The wait is probably explained by the sheer complexity of the subject which, once again, has been masterfully addressed by David Maidment.

The pictorial content is concluded with a superb colour section, making this one of the best books so far in the series.

Great Western Society - The Great Western Echo, Summer 2023

"More classes than you might think and several from Wales feature in another of David Maidment’s locomotive portfolios. The usual format, well illustrated, details of dates built, allocations, weight diagrams...an enjoyable book..."

Welsh Railways Research Circle Newsletter

Review of the Month

Steam World - July 2023

As featured in

The Bookseller, Jan 23
 David Maidment

About David Maidment

David Maidment was a senior manager with British Railways, with widespread experience of railway operating on the Western and London Midland Regions culminating in the role of Head of Safety Policy for the BRB after the Clapham Junction train accident. He retired in 1996, was a Principal Railway Safety Consultant with International Risk Management Services from 1996 to 2001 and founded the Railway Children charity (www.railwaychildren.org.uk) in 1995. He was awarded the OBE for services to the rail industry in 1996 and is now a frequent speaker on both the charity and his railway career and author of four novels, two non-fiction works on street children and over eighteen books for Pen & Sword’s locomotive portfolio series, the royalties from all being donated to the charity.

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