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The first 19 locomotives ordered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Railway included two unusual Haigh Foundry locomotives.
Snake and Viper were built at the Haigh Foundry in 1838 with 14¾in dia × 18in cylinders and the driving wheels geared 2:3 in order to keep the cylinder stroke speed low while allowing high track speed, in line with Brunel's specifications.Within a couple of years they had been rebuilt with 13in × 18in cylinders and conventional drive. They were later converted to 2-2-2T tank locomotives, possibly when they were sent to work the South Devon Railway, and at some time fitted with 6ft driving wheels and 15in × 18in cylinders.
[edit] Haigh Foundry
- A snake is a legless reptile. In 1846 it carried a different name, Exe, while working on the South Devon Railway, after the River Exe; it reverted to Snake when it returned to the Great Western Railway.
- A viper is a kind of poisonous snake. In 1846 it carried a different name, Teign, while working on the South Devon Railway, after the River Teign; it reverted to Viper when it returned to the Great Western Railway.
[edit] References
- The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway, Part 2: Broad Gauge. The Railway Correspondence and Travel Society. ISBN 0-906867-90-8.
- Waters, Laurence (1999). The Great Western Broad Gauge. Hersham: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0-906867-90-8.
