William Dean’s Ugly Ducklings Taking the GWR Act to Parliament

William Dean’s Ugly Ducklings

When one looks of the deigns of engines produced by the GWR in the 19th century. It is with some puzzlement that one arrives in 1899 with what can only be described as one of the least attractive locomotives that ever came out of Swindon Works.

The Class in question is the Krugers. They had outside frames to the six-coupled driving wheels, but inside frames for the leading wheels. A distinctive visual feature, initially, was a large saddle-shaped sandbox over the first ring of the boiler.

The class had two prototypes: No. 2601, was a 4-6-0, while No. 2602 was a 2-6-0. These first two were built in 1899, while Nos. 2603-2610, all 2-60s, followed later, between 1899 and 1903. Though Dean was officially still in charge, Churchward's influence is evident in the rugged design. Their, perhaps ironic, nickname was as an insult to Paul Kruger, the Boer War leader defeated by Lord Roberts in 1900. In addition, No.2602, which was slightly less ugly as a 2-6-0, nicknamed Mrs Kruger!

Basic dimensions for the class include 2-6-0 wheel arrangement (coupled wheels 4ft 7 1/2 in leading wheels 2ft 8in), boiler pressed at 180 lbf/ in2 and two inside cylinders (19in diameter and 28in stroke).

Perhaps Churchward saw the chance of experimenting in the name of Dean, and this somewhat experimental class was not successful, the boiler with its high pressure and 3ft 6in long combustion chamber gave trouble and the long 28inch stroke of the inside cylinders led to fractures of the solid crank axles.

The locos were employed on the coal drags from South Wales but did not prove successful. So, the class was not long-lived, and most were withdrawn around 1906. Several of the boilers were converted for stationary use in Swindon Works. They worked at a reduced pressure (165 lbf/in2) where they proved more successful than as a locomotive. They remained in service there, with at least one surviving until the 1950s.

Their numbers (Nos.2601-2610) were adopted by Churchward in 1907 for some of the last batch of the more elegant and reliable Aberdare Class 2-6-0s, which may also have re-used some of the "Kruger’s' parts.

(Top) No 2601 in 4-6-0 format (Above) A Krger firebox seen at Swindon in 1964 (Below) The 2-6-0 version of the Krugers. No 2602, rudely nicknamed “Mrs Kruger” after the wife of the Boer War leader