Welcome to Famous British Steam Locomotive Classes where you can enjoy and learn new facts, information and specificiation of different types of locos including some of the most famous locomotives which were designed and built in Great Britain.
Former Great Western Railway Locomotives
GWR 4073 Castle Class was designed by Great Western Railway's C.B. Collett who became the company's Chief Mechanical Engineer in 1922 and immediately began working on an improved express passenger locomotive to replace the Star. He succeeded when he came up with a faster, lighter and more compact design in 1923. The Castle Class steam locomotives were built for approximately 27 years with the last one been withdrawn from service just as 1965 was coming to an end.
GWR 6000 King Class was a range of 30 steam locomotives built by Great Western Railways at Swindon Works from 1927 to 1928, 1930 and 1936, and named after Great British Kings. The locos were the Railway's largest express passenger trains and they were designed by Chief Mechanical Engineer, Charles Benjamin Collett.
GWR 7800 Manor Class was a range of 30 steam locomotives built by Great Western Railways at Swindon Works from 1938, and named after Great British Manor building.
Famous Steam Locomotives
Sir Nigel Gresley's famous A3 class steam locomotive the Flying Scotsman. The flying Scotsman was the first steam locomotive to officially be recorded at 100 mph. This locomotive has visited a number of countries around the world and is preserved and owned by the National Railway Museum.
Early Steam Locomotives
Robert Stephenson invented one of the earliest steam locomotives which became famously known as The Rocket or Stephenson's Rocket. It was built in 1829 at the Forth Street Works, Newcastle Upon Tyne for the Rainhill Trials. Robert Stephenson carefully considered the steam locomotive's weight, size and speed when he successfully designed and produced this lighter, faster and smaller design.