Kinlet Hall  


Modified Hall Foremarke Hall  

A question often asked is What's the difference between a Hall and a Modified Hall? Well, hopefully after reading this page, you'll know!

There are 3 Modified Halls currently resident on the GWR: Foremarke Hall, Owsden Hall and Raveningham Hall. The 4900 or Hall class was designed by C B Collett to meet the need for a mixed-traffic locomotive with wide route availability that was more powerful than the 43xx 2-6-0s, which were beginning to reach their limitation. Collett's predecessor, G J Churchward, had, in fact, already considered a mixed-traffic 4-6-0 but instead, concentrated on a powerful 2-8-0 freight locomotive that became the highly successful 2800 class.

Collett's approach was to modify a Saint class, no 2925 Saint Martin including fitting smaller diameter driving wheels. This prototype entered service in 1924 as no. 4900, retaining the name of its donor. A further 80 new Hall class locomotives followed from 1928 and so successful were they that several further orders were placed over subsequent years.

When F W Hawksworth took over from Collett he made a number of modifications to the design including frames, cylinders, firebox saddle and superheaters. From locomotive 7910 onwards, they were equipped with mechanical lubricators rather than the idiosyncratic GWR-pattern hydrostatic displacement lubricator. The first emerged in 1944, and these locomotives became known as the Modified Hall class. They were known as being very free steaming and free running and were capable of some sustained high-speed running. Indeed, Foremarke Hall set a post-war record for a run from Paddington to Plymouth: deputising for a failed Castle, the engine completed its journey in under four hours.

Worcester locomotive depot had an allocation of Modified Halls and the shed master would happily turn out one of these for the fast services to Paddington (including the Cathedrals Express) instead of the more usual Castle.

In all, 330 Hall and Modified Hall locomotives were built, the last emerging from Swindon in 1949. 17 survive, of which 6 are Modified Halls.  At first glance it is difficult to tell the difference between the Collett and Hawksworth versions.  But if you view the locomotive from the front, the plate frame stretcher between the front wheels of the bogie are obvious on the Modified Hall the earlier design doesn't have this feature.

Principal dimensions are:

• Cylinders (2) 18½ x 30 inches
• Driving wheel diameter: 6ft 0in (the Saint was 6ft 8½in)
• Grate: 27.07 square feet
• Fire tubes:
  176 (Hall);
  145 (Modified Hall)
• Flue tubes:
  14 (Hall);
  21 (Modified Hall)
• Superheater tubes:
  84, 1in diameter; 6 per flue (Hall);
  84, 1¼in diameter; 4 per flue (Modified Hall)
• Length of boiler:
  14ft 10in (Hall);
  15ft 2½in (Modified Hall)
• Power classification: D (GWR), 5MT (BR)
• Route classification: Red

The Hall class locomotives on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway:

6960 Raveningham Hall - built 1944, the second of the Modified Hall class to be turned out. Initially un-named, it was named in 1947. Withdrawn from Oxford shed in 1963 and sold to Barry Scrapyard the following year. Was the 26th departure from the yard in 1972 and returned to service on the Severn Valley Railway in 1975. Currently away for overhaul at the Flour Mill workshops in the Forest of Dean.

6984 Owsden Hall - built 1948, it was modified with BR-type piston valves in 1957, but later returned to standard GWR pattern. Withdrawn from BR service at Bristol in 1965, being sent to Barry Scrapyard where it remained for over 20 years. Was the 178th departure from the yard in 1986 and is a long-term restoration project at Toddington, although work on the chassis is progressing well.

7903 Foremarke Hall - one of the final batch of Modified Hall class locomotives to be built, the it was completed by British Railways and emerged from Swindon works in 1949. Withdrawn just 15 years later, it moved to Barry to become the 129th departure in 1981. Restored over 20 years at the Swindon & Cricklade Railway, it arrived at Toddington in June 2004 and has been a regular performer on the line since then. The Foremarke Hall locomotive trust has its own The Foremarke Hall locomotive trust has its own website linked to at the end of the article.

4936 Kinlet Hall - built in 1929, spent part of the 2005 and 2006 seasons on the GWR and today is normally based at Tyseley where it is available for main line work. Kinlet Hall is an example of Collett's original Hall class design. It already had 20 years service behind it when no 7903 was built and had also suffered at the hands of the Luftwaffe, when it fell into a bomb crater during an air raid on Plymouth in 1941. Kinlet Hall was withdrawn from Cardiff in 1964. Despatched to Barry scrapyard, it became the 126th departure when purchased in 1981 by the Kinlet Hall Locomotive Company. It spent some time at Toddington during restoration and was steamed for the first time in preservation in 2000.

PHOTOS Spot the difference: the top picture shows Collett 4936 Kinlet Hall emerging from Greet Tunnel in 2005. Below is Hawksworth 7903 Foremarke Hall at Winchcombe. Note the plate frame stretcher on Foremarke Hall. Other visual differences include the mainframes which are exposed above the buffer beam on the Modified Hall. Less obvious are the shorter steam pipes between the cylinders and smokebox and wider chimney on the Collett Hall. Both pictures by Chris Taylor.  You can see more of Chris Taylor's work, and dozens of other photographers, in our Galleries by clicking here.