GWR 1400 Class

The GWR 1400 Class was Charles Collett's small auto-fitted 0-4-2T tank engine for short-haul branch and auto-train work, designed specifically to work GWR auto-coaches with through-control of the locomotive's regulator from the driving end of the auto-coach. Seventy-five engines were built at Swindon Works between 1932 and 1936.

The 0-4-2T wheel arrangement (rare on the GWR, most other GWR small tanks were 0-6-0PT or 2-6-2T) was chosen for the auto-train role: short, light, and capable of running effectively in either direction with the auto-coach. The 5 ft 2 in driving wheels gave reasonable speed for branch passenger work, the 170 psi boiler provided adequate steaming, and the auto-controls allowed the locomotive to be driven from the rear coach, eliminating the need to release the locomotive at terminals.

The 1400 was the GWR's standard auto-train engine from 1932 onwards. The class worked branch passenger services across the GWR system using auto-coaches, including the Cornish branches, the Welsh branches, the West Midlands suburban network, and the various rural and suburban GWR routes that had auto-train working.

British Railways inherited 75 engines in 1948. The class continued in BR Western Region service through the 1950s. The arrival of BR diesel multiple units from 1955 onwards progressively replaced the auto-train concept entirely; the last 1400 in BR service was withdrawn in 1964.

Four 1400 Class engines are preserved: 1420 (South Devon Railway), 1442 (Tiverton Museum, static), 1450 (Dean Forest Railway, working order), and 1466 (Didcot Railway Centre, working order, the class's most-photographed preserved example). The 5.3% preservation rate is good for a 1960s-withdrawn class, and three of the four are accessible to visiting public.

Design and development

By 1931 the Great Western Railway needed a modern small auto-train tank engine to replace the older 517 Class 0-4-2Ts and similar engines that had been doing GWR auto-train work for decades. Charles Collett designed the 1400 Class as the modern GWR auto-tank, using the auto-train control system that allowed the locomotive to be driven from the rear coach, eliminating the need to release the locomotive at terminals.

Production began at Swindon Works in 1932 and continued through 1936. By 1936 the class totalled 75 engines and was the GWR's standard auto-train engine, found on virtually every GWR branch with auto-train working.

Service and withdrawals

The 1400 was the GWR's standard auto-train tank engine from 1932 onwards. The class worked branch passenger services across the GWR system using auto-coaches, including the Cornish branches, the Welsh branches, the West Midlands suburban network, and the various rural and suburban GWR routes.

British Railways inherited 75 engines in 1948. The class continued in BR Western Region service through the 1950s. The arrival of BR diesel multiple units from 1955 onwards progressively replaced the auto-train concept entirely. The last 1400 in BR service was withdrawn in 1964.

Identification features

A small, neat 0-4-2T outline with the distinctive trailing axle behind the driving wheels. Side tanks alongside the boiler, modest cab with side windows, copper-capped chimney (a GWR signature), brass safety-valve cover. The auto-fittings include a duplicate set of regulator and brake controls in the cab roof for use when the engine is being driven from the rear-coach control.

Numbers and names

1400–1474
  1. 1400
  2. 1401
  3. 1402
  4. 1403
  5. 1404
  6. 1405
  7. 1406
  8. 1407
  9. 1408
  10. 1409
  11. 1410
  12. 1411
  13. 1412
  14. 1413
  15. 1414
  16. 1415
  17. 1416
  18. 1417
  19. 1418
  20. 1419
  21. 1420
  22. 1421
  23. 1422
  24. 1423
  25. 1424
  26. 1425
  27. 1426
  28. 1427
  29. 1428
  30. 1429
  31. 1430
  32. 1431
  33. 1432
  34. 1433
  35. 1434
  36. 1435
  37. 1436
  38. 1437
  39. 1438
  40. 1439
  41. 1440
  42. 1441
  43. 1442
  44. 1443
  45. 1444
  46. 1445
  47. 1446
  48. 1447
  49. 1448
  50. 1449
  51. 1450
  52. 1451
  53. 1452
  54. 1453
  55. 1454
  56. 1455
  57. 1456
  58. 1457
  59. 1458
  60. 1459
  61. 1460
  62. 1461
  63. 1462
  64. 1463
  65. 1464
  66. 1465
  67. 1466
  68. 1467
  69. 1468
  70. 1469
  71. 1470
  72. 1471
  73. 1472
  74. 1473
  75. 1474

GWR Nos 1400–1474. British Railways added BR Western Region prefix.

Notable locomotives

1420, preserved at the South Devon Railway.

1442, preserved at the Tiverton Museum.

1450, preserved at the Dean Forest Railway, working order.

1466, preserved at Didcot Railway Centre, working order. The class's most-photographed preserved example.

Allocations and regions

GWR era (1932–1947): the class was distributed across the GWR's extensive branch network for auto-train working. Major allocations included the West Midlands branches, the Welsh branches, the West Country branches, and the various GWR rural and suburban services that had auto-train working.

British Railways Western Region (1948–1964): continued at the same sheds. The arrival of BR diesel multiple units (DMUs) from 1955 onwards progressively reduced demand for auto-trains.

Livery history

GWR Brunswick green (1932–1947): the class was outshopped in plain GWR Brunswick green with shaded "Great Western" lettering, the GWR standard tank-engine livery. Brass safety-valve cover and copper-capped chimney completed the characteristic GWR appearance.

British Railways unlined black or Brunswick green (1948–1964): from 1948 the class wore BR-standard liveries. Most engines wore unlined black, though some passenger-allocated examples carried Brunswick green.

Preservation: preserved 1400s have appeared in GWR Brunswick green and BR unlined black at different periods.