GWR 3252 Class

The Great Western Railway Duke Class 4-4-0 steam locomotives for passenger train work, built in five batches between 1895 and 1899 for express working in Devon and Cornwall. William Dean was their designer, possibly with the collaboration of his assistant, George Jackson Churchward. Four prototype 4-4-0s, of the Armstrong Class, had already been built in 1894.

Twenty of the 3252 Class were later rebuilt as members of the Bulldog Class. A further thirty locos were later rebuilt as Earl Class locomotives; the prototype (number 3265) was not renumbered, but the others took numbers 3200-3228.

This class were subject to the 1912 renumbering of GWR 4-4-0 locomotives, which saw the Bulldog Class gathered together in the series 3300-3455, and other types renumbered out of that series. This class took numbers 3252-3291, which had previously been used by the first batch of Duke Class locomotives. The surviving locomotives were again renumbered into the 90xx series in 1946 upon introduction of new 2251 Class locomotives, which reused the 32xx numbers. All 11 of the 90xxs passed into British Railways stock in 1948, but the new Manor Class engines superseded them in central Wales and the last of them was withdrawn in 1951.