This is the story and history of new-re-build GWR Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 “Lady of Legend”. The Siants or 2900 Class 4-6-0 was a successful GWR Edwardian design of early express passenger 4-6-0 by George Jackson Churchward. They were built at a time of modernisation on the Great Western Railway in the 1900s. Three prototyes of the Siant Class were built between 1902 and 1905 for testing before they went into production at Swindon from 1905 to 1913 which 77 were built. Sadly none of the orignal 77 Saints survivied as the last one was withdrawn and scrapped in 1953. No. 2999 “Lady of Legend” is the 78th member of the Siant or 2900 Class to be built. The story is the Siant class was later developed into Collett’s smaller wheeled GWR Hall Class Mixed traffic 4-6-0’s which in 1924 No. 2925 “Saint Martin” was rebuilt with the smaller six feet wheels and renumbered No. 4900 to become the prototype of the 4900 Hall Class. The project to build No. 2999 started way back in the 1970s when a group of Great Western Society members bought No. 4942 “Maindy Hall” from Barry Scrapyard for a re-consruction to be a brand new Siant Class 4-6-0. The build used the frames from No. 4942 which were modified to make the newbuild Siant have a much stronger frames then the originals and other parts such as the boiler too. The building of No. 2999 was a mix of brand new parts and recycled GWR parts from No. 4942 used in the construction of the locomotive which was completed in 2019. Since her launch into traffic No. 2999 “Lady of Legend” has filled the missing gap in Great Western Locomotives and is a very popular locomotive at Didcot and on the heritage railway circuit.
UK Steam Preservation 