Great Western Railway 2-2-2, No. 378 ‘Sir Daniel’

Description

The GWR 378 Class (known as the Sir Daniel Class, after Sir Daniel Gooch) was a class of 30 standard-gauge 2-2-2 steam locomotives on the Great Western Railway in Britain. Introduced in 1866, the class remained intact until 1898. Some were altered to the 0-6-0 wheel arrangement; the last was withdrawn in 1920. Joseph Armstrong designed this class of standard-gauge passenger locomotives. Ten were built in 1866 at Swindon Works, the first standard-gauge passenger tender locomotives to be built there. In 1869, 20 more were built at Swindon, like the first 10, although the safety-valve covers were a different shape. The Sir Daniels worked expresses from London to Wolverhampton, to Worcester, and northwards, later also working into Somerset, south Wales and elsewhere as the standard gauge spread. As late as 1893 Charles Rous-Marten, the railway journalist, noted a fine run with one of the class on a principal Cornish express between Exeter and Bristol. Three of the locomotives – nos. 378, 383 & 479 – were scrapped between 1898 and 1900, but William Dean rebuilt the remainder as 0-6-0 goods engines. In 1902, after 23 had been so treated, G.J. Churchward (Dean’s successor) decided that no more rebuilding would be carried out, and so nos. 382/6, 478 & 579 were scrapped unaltered in 1903 and 1904. [Engraved for The Railway Engineer by the London Wood Engraving Co]