named after famous Courts (i.e. mansions). They were all built with superheaters and there were detailed differences between the boilers used on different lots. They were all withdrawn between 1948 and 1953. Performance The locomotives performed well as passenger locomotives over all the long-distance routes of the GWR and on all but the fastest express trains until they gradually became displaced to secondary services by the Castle Class in the late 1920s and 1930s. However, the driving wheels limited their usefulness on freight trains. Churchward had recognized this limitation by the introduction of his GWR 4700 Class 2-8-0 design with driving wheels in 1919, intended for express goods trains. However, Churchward's successor Charles Collett felt that a smaller-wheeled version of the 'Saint' class could form the basis of a successful mixed-traffic class of locomotives. He therefore rebuilt No. 2925 Saint Martin with driving wheels to become the prototype of his successful Hall Class locomotives. Thus the 2900 class became a template for later GWR 2-cylinder 4-6-0 classes including the Modified Hall, Grange, Manor and County classes, all of which were of the same basic design. Collett also experimented on several other members of the class. In 1923 No. 2933 was given an altered blastpipe and in 1927 No. 2947 was fitted with cylinder by-pass valves. In 1931 No. 2935 was rebuilt with Lentz-style rotary cam poppet valve gear, which remained in use until the engine was scrapped in 1948. Assessment The class incorporated many revolutionary advances which were influential in British locomotive design for the next fifty years. According to The Great Western Society, 'Saint' class locomotives "represented one of the most important steps forward in railway traction of the 20th century", and they "are now acknowledged to have had a profound influence on almost every aspect of subsequent steam locomotive development". Accidents and incidents On 9 January 1932, locomotive No. 2949 Stanford Court was hauling a milk train that overran signals at Didcot East Junction and collided with a freight train. The locomotive was derailed and six wagons were slightly damaged. List of locomotives Withdrawal The below list shows when all of the original 2900's were withdrawn from service. Preservation None of the original saints survived to preservation, so the Great Western Society purchased GWR 4900 Hall Class 4-6-0 No. 4942 Maindy Hall from Barry Scrapyard in 1974. The intention was to rebuild this Hall as a Saint, reversing