#1982

GWR 4073 Class

🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by Swindon Works· from 1923· class of 171 four-cylinder 4-6-0 locomotives

10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences

1. GWR 4079 Pendennis Castle Didcot Railway Centre 4th March 2023: BWard 1997· CC BY 3.0
2. GWR 4073 Class 4079 Pendennis Castle Severn Valley Railway (1): BWard 1997· CC BY 3.0
3. GWR 4073 Class 4079 Pendennis Castle Severn Valley Railway (2): BWard 1997· CC BY 3.0
4. GWR 4073 Class 4079 Pendennis Castle Severn Valley Railway: BWard 1997· CC BY 3.0
5. 4074 "Caldicot Castle": Tutenkhamun Sleeping· CC BY 2.0
6. 5022 "Wigmore Castle" - 5452819877: Tutenkhamun Sleeping· CC BY 2.0
7. 5025 Chirk Castle Oxford MPD '64 (38937823534): Rob Hodgkins· CC BY-SA 2.0
8. 4079 at Bristol Parkway: Hugh Llewelyn· CC BY-SA 2.0
9. 4079 Locomotive Class 4-6-0: Hugh Llewelyn· CC BY-SA 2.0
10. GWR King, Castle and Star classes (CJ Allen, Steel Highway, 1928): Andy Dingley (scanner)· Public domain

what is it?

The 4073 or Castle Class are 4-6-0 type steam locomotives of the Great Western Railway, built between 1923 and 1950. They were designed by the railway's Chief Mechanical Engineer, Charles Collett, for working the company's express passenger trains. They could reach speeds of up to 100 mph (160 km/h).

who runs it

Western Region of British Railways Great Western Railway

base stats

speed 150 km/htop speed
weight 80.3 tin working order
built 171made in total

Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.

fun facts

First built 103 years ago, in 1923.
Top speed is 1.2× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
Weighs about as much as 13 African elephants (~6 t each).
19.8 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
Served for 42 years (1923–1965).

steam locomotive: Burns coal, wood or oil to boil water; the steam drives pistons that turn the wheels.

spec sheet

built: 1923–1950
in service from: 1923
retired: 1965
status: retired
number built: 171
kind: Steam
traction: steam
origin: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
builders: Swindon Works
designer: Charles Collett
operators: Western Region of British Railways, Great Western Railway
top speed: 150 km/h
power: —
gauge: 1,435 mm standard gauge
wheel arrangement: 4-6-0
length: 19.8 m
weight: 80.3 t

From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q5514956, Wikipedia: GWR 4073 Class (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.