GWR 6400 Class


The Great Western Railway 6400 Class is a class of 0-6-0 pannier tank steam locomotive introduced by Charles Collett in 1932. All 40 examples were 'auto-fitted' – equipped with the remote-control equipment needed for working autotrains.
The 1936 GWR 7400 Class was a similar class, without the autotrain apparatus, but with a higher boiler pressure of 180 psi, providing a small but useful increase in power. An initial build of 30 in 1936-1937 was added to by British Railways in two batches each of ten locos in 1948 and 1950. These were destined for a short life, the briefest being only nine years. A minor visual difference between the 54xx and earlier 64xx, and the later series of 64xx, with the 74xx classes was at the join between cab and bunker. The 54xx and early 64xx had an arc whereas the later 64xx and the 74xx class was straight. The early locos also had a lip at the leading edge of the cab roof, whereas the later locos had a plain corner edge.
Both classes were closely related to the 1930 GWR 5400 Class, which was in turn an evolution of both the Armstrong 1874 GWR 850 Class and the Dean 1891 GWR 2021 Class. Thus the basic design was almost sixty years old when new, the driving wheels being the main distinguishing factor, apart from the more modern profile. There were also superficial similarities with the GWR 645 Class as extant in the 1930s, that also had wheels and stroke cylinders.

Operations

The smaller wheels of the 64xx's permitted operation in hillier locations than the 5400 Class and allocations were initially to the South Wales valleys.
Engines of class 6400 worked on many of the ex-GWR branch lines in Devon and around Plymouth until the early 1960s, when the lines closed or diesel multiple units took over services. Number 6430 was a regular engine on the old Tavistock South branch line and would often run with two autocoaches. No. 6412 was based at Gloucester loco shed and operated the last 'Chalford Shuttle' autotrain service between Gloucester and Chalford in 1962.

Numbering

There were 40 locomotives in the 6400 Class, numbered 6400-6439 and 50 locomotives in the 7400 Class, numbered 7400-7449.

Withdrawal

The below list shows when all of the original 6400's and later 7400's were withdrawn from service.
YearQuantity in
service at
start of year		Number withdrawnQuantity
withdrawn		Locomotive numbers
195890336407/23/27
19598716196402/04–05/09/14/17/20/28/32, 7401/11/15–16/20/38/47
1960715246401/06/39, 7400/19
19616611356411/13/15/25–26, 7409–10/17/21/29/33
19625515506408/10/18/22/29/36/38, 7402/06/08/22/25/28/34/40
19634015656403/16/21/31/33/37, 7405/07/12/26/30/41–42/48–49
19642523886400/12/19/24/30/34–35, 7403–04/13–14/18/23–24/27/31–32/35–36/43–46
196522907437/39

Preservation

Three of the 6400 Class have survived to preservation:
NumberBuiltWithdrawnService LifeLocationOwnersLiveryConditionPhotographNotes
6412Nov 1934Nov 196430 YearsEast Lancashire RailwaySouth Devon RailwayBR Lined Green, Late CrestOperational, Boiler Ticket Expires: 2024Starred in the TV series The Flockton Flyer
6430Mar 1937Oct 196427 Years, 7 monthsWest Somerset RailwayHugh SkiptonBR Lined Green, Early EmblemOperational, Boiler Ticket Expires: 2025
6435Apr 1937Oct 196427 Years, 5 monthsBodmin and Wenford RailwayBodmin and Wenford RailwayBR Lined Green, Late CrestOperational, Boiler Ticket Expires: 2022

In fiction

A 64xx Class loco was the title character of the British 1970s TV series The Flockton Flyer, which was filmed on the West Somerset Railway where the preserved locomotive was based.

Models

Lionheart manufacture a model of the 64xx in O scale.
Bachmann have recently begun producing models in OO gauge with the numbers 6407 in GWR unlined green, 6417 in BR unlined black and 6412 in BR lined Brunswick Green, with an N gauge version to follow shortly with the numbers 6407 in GWR unlined green, 6403 in BR unlined black and 6400 in BR lined Brunswick Green.