| Power Classification | 8F |
| Introduced | 1923 – 1930 & 1940 |
| Designer | Collett |
| Company | GWR |
| Weight | 82t 2cwt |
| Driving Wheels | 4ft 7.5ins |
| Boiler Pressure | 200psi superheated |
| Cylinders | Outside – 19in x 30in |
| Tractive Effort | 33,170lbf |
| Valve Gear | Stephenson (piston valve) |
This class was developed from the 4200 class with enlarged cylinders and detail alterations.
They were built with outside steam pipes and straight frames over the cylinders. Many were later rebuilt with raised frames over the cylinders.
Many 4200 and 5205 class engines were rebuilt as the 7200 class with an extra pair of trailing wheels and larger bunker. These included 5255-5294 which became 7200 class engines in 1934-1936. 5275-5294 were new engines that had been in store when they were rebuilt and hence never ran as a 5205 class locomotive. Somewhat surprisingly ten more 2-8-0Ts were constructed in 1940 which were numbered 5255-5264 and were the second batch of engines to carry these numbers.
 |
4200 class |
 |
5205 class |
 |
7200 class |
|
By 31st Dec |
Numbers | Quantity | Withdrawals |
No. in Service |
| 1923 | 5205-14 | 10 | 10 | |
| 1924 | 5215-44 | 30 | 40 | |
| 1925 | 5245-54 | 10 | 50 | |
| 1940 | 5255-64 | 10 | 60 | |
| 1941-60 | 60 | |||
| 1961 | 1 | 59 | ||
| 1962 | 3 | 56 | ||
| 1963 | 24 | 32 | ||
| 1964 | 22 | 10 | ||
| 1965 | 10 | 0 |
18 locomotives of the 4200 and 5205 classes were still working at the beginning of the last full year of GWR steam in 1965, the last engine in traffic was number 5235, withdrawn in September of that year. The 7200 class were withdrawn from service over a similar timescale to the other two classes.
| 31st Dec | 5205 | ||
| 1947-58 |
91 |
60 | 54 |
| 1959 |
76 |
60 | 54 |
| 1960 |
74 |
60 | 54 |
| 1961 |
70 |
59 |
54 |
|
1962 |
54 | 56 |
52 |
|
1963 |
33 | 32 |
39 |
|
1964 |
8 | 10 |
10 |
| 1965 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Withdrawn in 1965 From- | |||
| Aberdare |
1 |
||
| Cardiff East Dock |
2 |
2 |
|
| Ebbw Junction |
4 |
6 |
|
| Llanelly |
5 |
||
| Pontypool Road |
1 |
1 |
1 |
| Severn Tunnel Junction |
1 |
1 |
3 |
The sixty locomotives of the 5205 class were all allocated to depots in Wales for the entire period of their time in service.
Preservation
Three members of the 5205 class have been preserved as well as three locomotives from the 7200 class which were rebuilds of the 5205 class. The rebuilds are 5264 (rebuilt as 7229), 5275 (rebuilt as 7202) and 5277 (rebuilt as the pioneer of the 7200 class, number 7200).
