Lot Essay
GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY 'SAINT' CLASS 4-6-0 NO. 2987 'BRIDE OF LAMMERMOOR'
The GWR two-cylinder 'Saint' class was the first of the epoch making standard designs of express passenger locomotive (whose origins go back to 1902-3) to be designed by the celebrated George Jackson Churchward. This example is offerd in the external form which this particular locomotive displayed between 1942 (when given outside steam pipes) and 1949 when withdrawn. The history of this class is not entirely straightforward and the real No. 2987 was one of several engines which formed part of Churchward's evaluation of the type during 1903-6 before the truly standard 'Saints' began to emerge between 1907 and 1913 when the last example was built.
The type emerged at the time (1903-05) when Churchward also imported three French four cylinder 'de-Glehn' 4-4-2 locomotives for simultaneous appraisal. These were of compound rather than simple expansion principle and in the event were to be of rather more significance in the evolution of the classic GWR four-cylinder 4-6-0 (see Lot 76, below) than in the two-cylinder field. However, so as to make the comparisons fair, Churchward built a considerable number of his new two-cylinder machines in 4-4-2 wheel arrangement, but otherwise identical to the original 4-6-0 version which latter type had evolved via three prototypes - GWR Nos. 100, 98 and 171 in that order - 1902-03.
In 1904, Churchward converted No.171 to 4-4-2 arrangement and during 1905, a larger batch of nineteen locomotives (Nos. 172 - 190) was introduced of which no fewer than thirteen examples had the 4-4-2 wheel arrangement. These were known as the 'Scott' class (because of the names they carried) and No. 2987 was one of them. Built as No. 187 in 1905 and at first named Robertson, it received the more resonant sounding 'Bride of Lammermoor' name in 1907 and in 1912 was superheated and converted to what was now the standard 'Saint' Class 4-6-0 form. Later that year, like the 22 other early engines, it was renumbered into the 29xx series and the only subsequent major change in its external configurations (other than small livery variations) was the fitting of outside steam pipes in 1942. The model carries the final form of GWR express passenger livery prior to the formation of British Railways in 1948.
The GWR two-cylinder 'Saint' class was the first of the epoch making standard designs of express passenger locomotive (whose origins go back to 1902-3) to be designed by the celebrated George Jackson Churchward. This example is offerd in the external form which this particular locomotive displayed between 1942 (when given outside steam pipes) and 1949 when withdrawn. The history of this class is not entirely straightforward and the real No. 2987 was one of several engines which formed part of Churchward's evaluation of the type during 1903-6 before the truly standard 'Saints' began to emerge between 1907 and 1913 when the last example was built.
The type emerged at the time (1903-05) when Churchward also imported three French four cylinder 'de-Glehn' 4-4-2 locomotives for simultaneous appraisal. These were of compound rather than simple expansion principle and in the event were to be of rather more significance in the evolution of the classic GWR four-cylinder 4-6-0 (see Lot 76, below) than in the two-cylinder field. However, so as to make the comparisons fair, Churchward built a considerable number of his new two-cylinder machines in 4-4-2 wheel arrangement, but otherwise identical to the original 4-6-0 version which latter type had evolved via three prototypes - GWR Nos. 100, 98 and 171 in that order - 1902-03.
In 1904, Churchward converted No.171 to 4-4-2 arrangement and during 1905, a larger batch of nineteen locomotives (Nos. 172 - 190) was introduced of which no fewer than thirteen examples had the 4-4-2 wheel arrangement. These were known as the 'Scott' class (because of the names they carried) and No. 2987 was one of them. Built as No. 187 in 1905 and at first named Robertson, it received the more resonant sounding 'Bride of Lammermoor' name in 1907 and in 1912 was superheated and converted to what was now the standard 'Saint' Class 4-6-0 form. Later that year, like the 22 other early engines, it was renumbered into the 29xx series and the only subsequent major change in its external configurations (other than small livery variations) was the fitting of outside steam pipes in 1942. The model carries the final form of GWR express passenger livery prior to the formation of British Railways in 1948.