Following on from the release of the popular GWR 44xx locomotives, work is progressing on Rapido's new GWR Class 45xx Small Prairie 2-6-2T locos too! 

They have now shared images of these initial engineering samples showcasing the many tooling variations that set these Churchward-era vehicles apart from their earlier forerunners.The order book is still open for this project and there are 12 different variations available to pre-order in GWR green, BR black, BR green and preservation era  colour schemes.

The OO Gauge 44xx will be a tough act to follow, as it was such a lovely little loco. But judging by these incredible prototypes, we think their more powerful and more numerous cousins will give them some fierce competition. Despite the 44xx being such a good model, Rapido have still made some advancements with the 45xx design. To match many of their other recent announcements and arrivals, they have fitted the 45xx with stay-alives.

These handsome tank engines pair beautifully with Rapido's many other GWR releases including their vast wagon range, GWR B Set coaches and Evolution bogie coaching stock too!

The Great Western Railway introduced the 44xx in 1904; these 2-6-2 outside cylinder tank engines were better known as the Small Prairie. Although they were very efficient locomotives, they had a limited top speed due to their small wheels. For the Small Prairie concept to be practical in other locations, a revision to the original design was required.

George Churchward, who was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the GWR at the time and designer of the 44xx, went back to the drawing board.

Following his adapted design, Wolverhampton Works built a 4’ 7 ½” wheeled version in 1906. This initial prototype was numbered 2161. The larger wheels enabled speeds of up to 60mph to be reached.

A further 19 locomotives were then constructed at Wolverhampton shortly after. This would be the last class of loco to be built there as the GWR decided to move all new loco builds to Swindon.

In late 1912, the GWR renumbered many of its fleet so that classmates were of consecutive numbers. Numbers 2161 to 2190 were reclassified and given numbers 4500 to 4529. As a class, they became the 45xx.

Ever the pioneering engineer, Churchward made an eclectic mix of tweaks to the 45xx throughout their lifetime to improve reliability, performance and range. This included superheated boilers, front-end support struts, outside steam pipes, and running boards modified from straight to curved front ends. Swindon continued building batches of 45xx locos from 1913 to 1915. The final batch was given superheaters when they were built.

Churchward retired in 1921. His successor, Charles Collett, clearly liked the 45xx design. As he went on to build another batch of them in 1924, bringing the total up to 75 class members.

They were built with all the mod cons, including larger bunkers, full- length running boards with curved front ends, outside steam pipes and superheated boilers with top feeds from new. They also gained cab side shutters and had their cab front porthole windows removed a few years later.

From 1924 onwards, the bunkers of the earlier batches of 45xx locomotives were modified to bring the coal carrying capacity up to 3 tons 14 hundredweight, matching their newly-built counterparts. This involved moving the bufferbeam back with an ‘extension block’, which was visible from the side. The loco became slightly longer as a result.

The class survived through the grouping years and right through to the days of British Railways. Scrapping began in the early years of BR, with the first examples being condemned in 1950. Throughout the 1950s and 60s they were gradually withdrawn in batches, with the last persisting until 1964. Several 45xx locomotives from the Collett batch are preserved, but sadly no Churchward-built locomotives survived.

Arguably, No.4555 is the most famous preserved 45xx. This locomotive was the first of the Collett batch and operated until 1963. The engine was bought directly from BR by Pat Whitehouse and Pat Garland for a total of £750, which included a van full of spares and a spare boiler. BR overhauled the loco, and she was repainted back into GWR livery. Despite being privately-owned, she went back to work for BR for a period. This involved working some goods trains and, at one time, due to a failed diesel, providing assistance to the Pines Express.

It moved to the Dart Valley Railway at Buckfastleigh in 1965, where it hauled the official opening train in 1969 (with Dr. Beeching as special guest!). Finally, it moved to the Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway in 1973, where it gained the name Warrior.

Whilst not preserved, another standout in the range is No.4507. Built in 1907, she was the final Wolverhampton-built locomotive in service when she was withdrawn in October 1963. No.4507 was also the oldest GWR locomotive in traffic at the time of her withdrawal prior to scrapping in 1964.