GWR 6800 Class 6880 Betton Grange
Cab for Betton Grange
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer C.B. Collett (original designer) Builder 6800 Society Build date 1994–present
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-0  • UIC 2'C h Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Leading dia. 3 ft 0 in (0.914 m) Driver dia. 5 ft 8 in (1.727 m) Minimum curve 8 chains (530 ft; 160 m) normal, 7 chains (460 ft; 140 m) slow Length [convert: invalid number] Width 8 ft 11+1⁄4 in (2.72 m) Height 13 ft 0 in (3.96 m) Axle load 18 long tons 8 cwt (41,200 lb or 18.7 t) Adhesive weight 55 long tons 2 cwt (123,400 lb or 56 t) Loco weight 74 long tons 0 cwt (165,800 lb or 75.2 t) full Tender weight 40 long tons 0 cwt (89,600 lb or 40.6 t) full Total weight 166.1 long tons (168.8 t) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 7 long tons 0 cwt (15,700 lb or 7.1 t) Water cap. 3,500 imp gal (16,000 L; 4,200 US gal) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 27.07 sq ft (2.515 m2) Boiler pressure 225 psi (1.55 MPa) Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 154.78 sq ft (14.380 m2)  • Tubes and flues 1,686.60 sq ft (156.690 m2)  • Total surface 2,461.4 sq ft (228.67 m2) Superheater: ​  • Heating area 4-element: 191.8 sq ft (17.82 m2), 6-element: 253.38 sq ft (23.540 m2) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 18.5 in × 30 in (470 mm × 762 mm)
Performance figures Tractive effort 28,875 lbf (128.44 kN)
Career Power class GWR: D; BR: 5MT Official name Betton Grange Axle load class GWR: Red First run 1936 Retired 1960–1965 Disposition Under construction, Llangollen Railway

No.6880 Betton Grange is a steam locomotive build project, currently taking place on the Llangollen Railway in Denbighshire, Wales. Known as "the 81st Grange", the project started in 1998, and it is presently expected to have first steamed the locomotive by 2013. As all of the original GWR 6800 Class Grange locomotives were scrapped as a result of the Beeching Axe in the 1960s, this project is a reaction from original GWR locomotive pieces of a "new" yet original Grange-class locomotive.

The GWR locomotive standardisation policy pursued by G.J. Churchward envisaged a range of locomotive classes which would be suitable for the majority of duties, and yet which would share a small number of standard components.^[1] Amongst the designs suggested in 1901 was a 4-6-0 with 5-foot-8-inch (1.73 m) diameter coupled wheels, and the Standard No. 1 boiler.^[2] Although planned in 1901, none were built until 1936, by which time C.B. Collett was in charge at Swindon. He took the Churchward proposal, and modified the design of the cab and controls to the then current style.^[3]

The 4300 Class of 2-6-0 tender locomotives had been introduced in 1911, and by 1932 there were 342 in service.^[4] With train loads and hence weights rising, these smaller, older and less powerfull locomotives were scheduled to be replaced by new 4-6-0 locomotives by the 1930s.

The Granges were effectively a smaller-wheeled version of the GWR Hall Class.^[5] The GWR also built a lighter version of the Granges, the GWR 7800 Class, known as the Manor Class, which had smaller boilers.^[6] Between 1936 and 1939, 100 of the 4300 Class were taken out of service, and stripped of their parts at Swindon Works. The initial plan was to rebuilt 80 as the 6800 Grange class, whilst the remaining 20 were of the 7800 Manor class.^[7] It had eventually been intended to replace all of the 4300 Class in this way in three batches, with the next Grange due to be built No. 6880 Betton Grange, to be named after the manor house in the Shropshire hamlet of Betton Strange. But the onset of Second World War stopped the programme.^[7][5]

The wheels, valve motion and tenders of the Grange were taken from the withdrawn engines, reconditioned and then used in the construction of the 100 new locomotives;^[3][5][6] with the components from one old locomotive spread amongst more than one of the new engines.^[8] The cylinders of both the Granges and Manors were of the same size as those used on the 4300 Class, but the old cylinders could not be re-used because the cylinders and valves shared a common casting, and the new design called for the separation between cylinder and valve centre lines to be increased by 2+1⁄2 inches (64 mm). This was done in order to make the cylinders level with the axles, but still allow the use of the old valve motion parts.^[9][10]

The 6800 class had driving wheels of 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) diameter, four inches smaller than those of the Hall class. However, as their cylinders were of the same size and the two classes shared the Swindon No. 1 boiler, the Grange had a tractive effort 1,600lb greater than the Hall.^[11] Hence, with their power and mixed traffic characteristics, the Grange locomotives could handle most duties on the network.^[3] The British Railways power classification of the Grange class was 5MT, its GWR power class was D and its route availability colour code was red.^[12] In service they were reliable performers.^[3][13]

The last of the Grange class was withdrawn in 1968, and none were preserved.

Inspired by the new built of the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust in recreating from fresh-cut metal the LNER Peppercorn Class A1 60163 Tornado, and with the "kit of standard bits" construction approach adopted by the GWR, the Llangollen Railway Society explored the possibilty of recreating a new build Grange from existing parts of various locomotives.

After the Beeching Axe, British Railways had sent many of the steam locomotives for disposal to a series of approved and trained private scrap yards, the most famous of which was Woodham Brothers in Barry Island, South Wales.^[14][15] While many of the early locomotives that were recovered from Barry were complete, later locomotives were at best kits of bits, and at worst simply frames, wheels, and a rusty boiler. This had left preservation societies with a dilema: under take the heavy expense of restoring these later recovered examples, and recreating many of the lost parts; or simply using them as donor locomotives, a source of spares to keep other working engines operational?^[14][15][16]

The Grange project potentially answered both questions, by sourcing a complete kit of bits for a new build project from scrap locomotives that would be too uneconomically expensive to restore.

The 6880 Society (registered charity, no: 1100537) was formed in 1998, with the sole purpose of eventually completing an operational Grange Class steam locomotive.^[17] The fact that the GWR rebuild programme stopped at the end of the first batch of locomotives made numbering and naming the proposed locomotive a relatively easy procedure. From GWR records, No. 6880 Betton Grange was the next locomotive scheduled off of the line at Swindon Works, hence the project locomotive becoming known as "the 81st Grange."^[11]

The core of the society was formed from the group which recovered from Barry and restored to operation at Llangollen, the GWR 5101 Class Large Prairie No. 5199.^[18]

Both the main frames and the cab for No. 6880 were cut from new-metal, with cutting started in September 2004.^[19] The cab was completed in time for the Crewe Works gathering in 2005.

Also in 2005, the society acquired the boiler from GWR 6959 "Modified Hall" Class No. 7927 Willington Hall, the chassis from which has been retained by the Didcot Railway Centre to build a GWR 1000 County Class, another class of GWR locomotive which failed to make it into preservation. The society also acquired the spare chassis tender frame from GWR 4900 Class 4936 Kinlet Hall.

In 2010, the society bought GWR 4900 Hall Class No. 5952 Cogan Hall from the Cambrian Railways Trust. The long term aim is to fully restore this locomotive to operational condition, but in the short term the society have borrowed its bogie and tender for Grange project, to speed the project to a successful conclusion.

• Frames: cut from new metal
• Boiler: obtained from GWR 6959 "Modified Hall" Class No. 7927 Willington Hall
• Driving Wheels: spare set for GWR 4300 Collett "Mogul" Class No. 7325, on long term loan agreement from the Severn Valley Railway Society
• Front bogie: GWR 4900 Class 5952 Cogan Hall. Presently being restored at Williton works on the West Somerset Railway
• Cyclinders: casting and machining of a new pair of cylinders, estimated cost of £60,000
• Tender: GWR 4900 Class 5952 Cogan Hall, with later option to rebuild spare frame obtain from No. 4936 Kinlet Hall
• Cab: cut from new metal

The 6880 Society organised two successful "Steel Steam & Stars" gala's (SSS gala) events in 2007 and 2009, held on the Llangollen Railway, which raised their profile and funds for the build. The next SSS gala is scheduled to take place in April 2012.^[20]

• 1998: Project started
• 2007: "Steel Steam & Stars" gala
• 2009: "Steel Steam & Stars" gala

Template:Commoncat

• 6880 website
• Betton Grange project at the Llangollen Railway
• Steel Steam & Stars