The

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...

Waverley Class were 4-4-0

broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , more known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union countries ...

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...

s for express passenger train work. The class was introduced into service between February and June 1855, and withdrawn between February 1872 and November 1876. From about 1865, the Waverley Class was known as the Abbot Class. The names are mostly inspired by the

Waverley novels The Waverley novels are a long series of novels by Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832). For nearly a century, they were among the most popular and widely read novels in Europe. Because Scott did not publicly acknowledge authorship until 1827, the se ...

of Sir

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

Locomotives

* ''Abbott'' (1855–1876) :'' The Abbot'' is one of the Waverley novels. * ''Antiquary'' (1855–1876) :'' The Antiquary'' is one of the Waverley novels. * ''Coeur de Lion'' :Coeur de Lion is the nickname of King

Richard I of England Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199), known as Richard the Lionheart or Richard Cœur de Lion () because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior, was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ru ...

, who appears in

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

's novel '' The Talisman''. * ''Ivanhoe'' (1855–1876) :''

Ivanhoe ''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' ( ) by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in December 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. It marked a shift away from Scott's prior practice of setting stories in Scotland and in the more ...

'' is one of the Waverley novels. * ''Lalla Rookh'' (1855–1872) :'' Lalla-Rookh'' was a poem by

Thomas Moore Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852), was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist who was widely regarded as Ireland's "National poet, national bard" during the late Georgian era. The acclaim rested primarily on the popularity of his ''I ...

. * ''Pirate'' (1855–1876) :'' The Pirate'' is one of the Waverley novels. * ''Red Gauntlet'' (1855–1876) :''

Redgauntlet ''Redgauntlet'' (1824) is a historical novel by Sir Walter Scott, one of the Waverley novels, set primarily in Dumfriesshire, southwest Scotland, in 1765, and described by Magnus Magnusson (a point first made by Andrew Lang) as "in a sense, ...

'' is one of the Waverley novels. * ''Rob Roy'' (1855–1872) :'' Rob Roy'' is the title of one of the Waverley novels and the nickname of Robert Roy MacGregor. * ''Robin Hood'' (1855–1876) :''

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

'' was an English folk hero. * ''Waverley'' (1855–1876) :'' Waverley'' is the first title in the Waverley series of novels.

References

* *

External links

Waverley class 4-4-0 steam locomotive, c 1855
- drawing from Sir Daniel Gooch's sketchbook
A Victorian railway accident
- photograph of ''Rob Roy'' about to be re-railed following an accident {{GWR Locomotives Waverley 4-4-0 locomotives Broad gauge (7 feet) railway locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1855 Passenger locomotives