Present your case
If there’s a locomotive that you think needs to be offered ready-to-run, here’s the place to voice your opinion…
RAIL PHOTOPRINTS
Locomotive: GWR 2900, ‘Saint’ class, 4-6-0
Gauge: ‘OO’
Proposed
by: John Davies
What is it?
The Great Western ‘Saint’ class, designed by George Jackson Churchward, were the first modern express locomotives in Britain. Most were built as 4-6-0s, but a batch of 13 was constructed as 4-4-2s, although they were later converted to match the rest of the fleet.
Proving to be a very successful locomotive class, thanks to a combination of 27sq. ft of easily fired grate, a free-steaming boiler and efficient valve events. On the GWR their direct descendants included the ‘Halls’, ‘Modified Halls’, ‘Granges’, ‘Manors’ and ‘Counties’, while on the LMS the famous ‘Black Fives’ also owe a debt to Churchward’s design, as do some of the BR Standards, especially the Class 5MT. On the Southern, it’s possible that the ‘Saints’ inspired the ‘King Arthurs’ and the ‘S15s’ and, on the LNER, the ‘B1’ 4-6-0s. It is inexplicable that such a historically important locomotive should not be represented by a RTR model produced to today’s high standards.