4709 - 47xx Class

Churchward's last great masterpiece, the 47XX mixed traffic 2-8-0, is among the most iconic locomotives ever produced for the Great Western Railway. Only nine of these huge locomotives were built, primarily for fast overnight freight work, earning them the nickname 'Night Owls'.

Ironically the heyday for the class only came in the post-nationalisation years when the potential of these locomotives for use on heavy Summer Saturday passenger trains was recognised. In recognition of this they were turned out in fully lined BR passenger green livery.

None of the class survived, but over the years many people have expressed a desire to see a 47XX 2-8-0 in action again.

4709 is a new member of the class, which is being built using a mixture of new parts and others recycled from former Barry scrapyard locomotives. The Great Western Society project really began in 2012 with the cutting of new mainframe plates. The frames were duly assembled at Llangollen, and in August 2020 were transported to the premises of Leaky Finders at Hele, near Exeter, where the rolling chassis is to be assembled.

To learn more about recent progress see the latest 4709 Project Newsletter (August 2020) from the 4709 project website

Download the 4709 Appeal Leaflet (426kb .pdf document)

Download a 4709 Donation Form from the 4709 project website

Status

Under Construction

Wheel arrangement

2-8-0

Route availability

Red

Barrel diameter

5 feet 6 inches

Barrel length

14 feet 10 inches

Boiler pressure

225 lbs/sq in

Boiler type

Standard No. 7

Coal capacity

6 Tons

Cylinders

(2) 19 x 30 inches

Heating surfaces, firebox

169.75 sq ft

Firegrate

30.28 sq ft

Power class

D

Superheater area

323.9 sq ft

Tractive effort

30,460 pounds

Heating surfaces, tubes

2062.35 sq ft

Water capacity

4,000 gallons

Weight

82 tons

Wheel diameter

5 feet 8 inches

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