Great Western Pannier Tank Classes: An Overview Of Their Design & Development

Swindon-design pannier tanks have made heritage sector headlines again this year. A prime contender for the accolade of the ultimate Really Useful Engine, they took centre stage at the West Somerset Railway’s autumn steam gala because much of the route is temporarily out of bounds to larger engines.

With 863 built, the 57XX panniers designed for branch passenger and freight duties were one of the most numerous classes of British steam locomotive.

Here is the tenth book by David Maidment in the Locomotive Portfolio series and it covers the large number of designs from which that trademark class evolved from and indeed into.

The story begins in 1860 with the 0-6-0STs built for both the GWR and the independent railway companies in South Wales, most of which were converted to pannier tanks in the Churchward and Collett eras as they were reboilered with raised Belpaire fireboxes between the early 1900s and the late