Parawozy - Great Western Railway: książki - historia (2/4)

Churchward proposed a 5ft 8in wheeled 4-6-0 for mixed traffic duties in 1901 and it was seriously considered in 1905, but it took until 1936 before his successor, Charles Collett, realised the plan by persuading the GWR Board to replace many of the 43XX moguls with modern standard mixed traffic engines that bore a remarkable likeness to the Churchward proposal.

David Maidment has written another in his series of 'Locomotive Portfolios' for Pen & Sword to coincide with the construction of a new 'Grange' at Llangollen from GW standard parts to fill the gap left by the total withdrawal and scrapping of one of that railway's most popular classes - to their crews at the very least.
As well as covering the type's design and construction, the author deals comprehensively with the allocation and operation of the eighty locomotives and in particular has researched their performance and illustrated it with many examples of recorded logs from the 1930s as well as in more recent times.
As in previous volumes, the author has added his own personal experiences with the engines and has sourced more than 250 photos, over 40 of which are in colour.

The gradual growth of the railways in Britain during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, in both passenger and freight traffic, saw the requirement for a more powerful and versatile type of motive power - mixed traffic locomotives.
The construction of Great Western Halls and Modified Halls gave the Great Western a superb all round locomotive, and for thirty-six years they operated passenger and freight services over the Great Western, and later Western, Region.

The Hall class were among the largest mixed traffic steam locomotives running throughout the country, and this book is the first serious volume to focus on them in fifty years.
The book charts the history of both classes, from their construction and withdrawal, to their design, development and eventual scrapping. With over 200 black and white and colour photographs, accompanied by informative captions, many members of the class are excellently illustrated. It will appeal greatly to those interested in the history of Great Western Locomotive development.

A fascinating illustrated insight into this iconic Hall Class of locomotuves used by the Great Western Railway. The Hall class 4-6-0, itself a development of the celebrated Saint class, represents the precursor of thousands of mixed traffic 4-6-0 engines that were built for Britain's railways and were the breadwinners in all types of work and conditions.

The 328 examples of the Hall class and the Modified Hall class powered Britain through the Second World War, as well as providing the bulk of the revenue-earning services on both the GWR and BR.
We are fortunate that both Halls and Modified Halls survived into preservation and their proud story continues with an assured future on many heritage lines.