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GWR 4073 Class 5080 Defiant

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GWR 5080 Defiant
Defiant is sat waiting for 5043 to be moved off its turntable road prior to being taken back to the shed
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerCharles Collett
BuilderGWR Swindon Works
Build dateMay 1939
Specifications
Configuration:
 • Whyte4-6-0
Gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Leading dia.3 ft 2 in (0.965 m)
Driver dia.6 ft 8+12 in (2.045 m)
Length65 ft 2 in (19.86 m) over buffers
Width8 ft 11 in (2.718 m)
Height13 ft 1 in (3.988 m) (Cut back from 13 ft 4+12 in (4.077 m))
Loco weight79 long tons 17 cwt (178,900 lb or 81.1 t)
89.4 short tons full
Tender weight47 long tons 6 cwt (106,000 lb or 48.1 t)
53.0 short tons full
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity6 long tons 0 cwt (13,400 lb or 6.1 t)
6 long tons 0 hundredweight (6.10 t; 6.72 short tons)
Water cap.4,000 imp gal (18,000 L; 4,800 US gal)
Firebox:
 • Grate area29.36 sq ft (2.728 m2)
BoilerGWR Standard Number 8
Boiler pressure225 lbf/in2 (1.55 MPa)
Heating surface:
 • Firebox162.7 sq ft (15.12 m2) (Collett)
163.5 sq ft (15.19 m2) (Hawksworth)
 • Tubes1,857.7 sq ft (172.59 m2) (Collett)
1,799.5 sq ft (167.18 m2) (Hawksworth)
CylindersFour (two inside, two outside)
Cylinder size16 in × 26 in (406 mm × 660 mm)
Valve gearInside cylinders: Walschaerts
Outside cylinders: derived from inside cylinders via rocking bars.
Valve typePiston valves
Loco brakeVacuum
Performance figures
Maximum speed25mph - (heritage railways) 45mph - (mainline, tender first) 75mph - (mainline, chimney first)
Tractive effort31,625 lbf (140.68 kN)
Career
OperatorsGreat Western Railway
British Railways
Power classGWR: D
BR: 7P
Axle load classGWR: Red
WithdrawnApril 1963
Current ownerTyseley Locomotive Works
DispositionStored

GWR 4073 Class 5080 Defiant is a GWR 4073 Class steam locomotive built for the Great Western Railway at Swindon Works in May 1939. It was originally named Ogmore Castle.

Allocations

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The following is a list of 5080's shed locations during her career with the GWR and British Railways over time.[1]

Shed allocations
Location Shed code From
Old Oak Common PDN 25 May 1936
Cardiff Canton CDF August 1940
Swindon SDN 9 January 1941
Cardiff Canton CDF 20 March 1941
Swindon SDN 16 August 1949
Cardiff Canton CDF (86C) 13 September 1949
Landore 87E December 1955
Llanelly 87F September 1961

Renaming

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Prior to 5080's transfer to Cardiff Canton from Swindon, the engine was renamed Defiant in January 1941, commemorating one of the many types of aircraft which had taken part in the Battle of Britain. The engines original name Ogmore Castle was also used on an earlier member of the class and later used by two sister engines; the name was originally allocated to 5056 before it was renamed Earl of Powis in Sept 1937. Following 5080's renaming, the Ogmore Castle was transferred to No. 7007 (later renamed Great Western in January 1948) and 7035.

British Railways

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After the arrival of the Britannia Class Pacifics on the Western Region, it was moved to Carmarthen in 1959, staying there until its final move to Llanelli in May 1961.

Withdrawal and Preservation

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It was withdrawn in April 1963 and acquired by Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales in October that year.[2]

It was sold to the Standard Gauge Steam Trust (since renamed Tyseley Locomotive Works), initially as spare parts for 7029 Clun Castle, and left as the 62nd departure from Barry in August 1974. Its restoration was completed in July 1987, and it ran for a number of years, appearing on various preserved lines such as the Llangollen Railway Easter 1996. After its boiler certificate expired in 1997, it was sent to be displayed at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, where it remained until May 2017 when it was returned to Tyseley.

Defiant is at present stored at Tyseley Locomotive Works, but makes appearances at Tyseley's open weekends as a static exhibit. A group called "The Defiant Club" are raising money to fund an overhaul of No. 5080 for a return to service on the mainline to work excursion trains.[3][4] As of March 2024, 5080's tender is undergoing overhaul with completion expected before the end of 2024 and the engines boiler is due to be assessed in 2024 to ascertain how much it will cost.[5] To speed up 5080's return to service, Tyseley's intention is to only overhaul the engines boiler and leave it's bottom-end intact. The engine will be overhauled only for use on heritage railways but once enough money has been raised to cover a full mechanical overhaul for 5080, the engine will be overhauled to mainline standards.[6]

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Below are a set of photos showing 5080 during its career with British Railways alongside its time at Barry Island and in preservation.

References

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  1. ^ "5080's shed allocations for GWR & BR". BRDatabase.
  2. ^ Daniel, John (16 April 2013). "The Barry Scrapyard story, part 1". The Great Western Archive.
  3. ^ "5080: Defiant Club". Vintage Trains Ltd. Archived from the original on 18 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  4. ^ "The Defiant Club" (PDF). Vintage Trains Ltd. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  5. ^ 5080 Update Trackside issue 32 March 2024 page 13
  6. ^ 5080 Update on future Trackside issue 33 April 2024 page 9
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