GWR 4300 Class

One of the most successful designs in locomotive history came about when the great Swindon innovator G J Churchward worked alongside the engineer H Holcroft (who would go on to work with Maunsell, Bulleid and Gresley). This format for the mixed traffic 2-6-0 from1911 would be not only co-opted by almost all the other big four companies but also by BR some 40 years later. 342 were built by Swindon works alone over a 22 year period and the last “mogul” was still in active use as late as 1964, a full 53 years after the initial design. This model is based on Ian Holder's design which captures the highlights of the original engines well. We do not know much about the builder, however it spent some time on display and on a garden railway in California, USA before arrival here at LMR. Despite such numbers, only 2 of the class survived into preservation.