Locomotives of the Great Western Railway

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The Great Western Railway had an uninterrupted life of over a century to develop its locomotive designs as it was barely affected by the Grouping of 1923. As a result its locomotive history is a long and interesting one.

Contents

[edit] Background

[edit] Numbering and Classification

For an explanation of GWR locomotive classification and numbering, including details of the major renumbering schemes, see: GWR locomotive numbering and classification

[edit] Post-Nationalisation

British Rail continued to build GWR designs (the 1000, 1500, 1600, 4073 and 6959 classes in particular) immediately after Nationalisation. When the first BR Standard steam locomotives started to arrive, they were often compared unfavourably to ex-GWR locos, and the Western Region decided to take forward experiments with diesel-hydraulic and gas turbine locomotives.

[edit] Withdrawal

Withdrawal of ex-GWR locomotives took place earlier than for the other 'Big Four' companies as the Western Region took the decision to be the first to end steam traction. A handful of locomotives that had been transferred to other regions did survive for longer however. Ironically, because the Barry scrapyard received large numbers of ex-GWR locomotives, proportionately more survive today in preservation than the locomotives of the other companies.

[edit] Great Western Railway Broad Gauge Locomotives

See List of broad gauge (7 feet) railway locomotive names

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

[edit] Isambard Kingdom Brunel

GWR Ariadne class loco "Nemesis", at Trowbridge, not later than 1872
GWR Ariadne class loco "Nemesis", at Trowbridge, not later than 1872
GWR Iron Duke class locos, awaiting scrapping at the end of their life
GWR Iron Duke class locos, awaiting scrapping at the end of their life

[edit] Daniel Gooch locomotives (1837 - 1864)

[edit] Joseph Armstrong locomotives (1864 - 1877)

[edit] William Dean locomotives (1877 - 1892)

[edit] Great Western Railway Standard Gauge Locomotives

Standard gauge locomotives were built at the GWR's Wolverhampton railway works up to 1889, when most production was moved to Swindon railway works. New building at Wolverhampton ceased entirely in 1908.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

[edit] Daniel Gooch locomotives (1855 - 1864)

Locomotives were not numbered in continuous blocks

  • 131 Class 0-6-0
  • 316 Class 0-6-0

[edit] Joseph Armstrong locomotives (1864 - 1877)

Locomotives were not numbered in continuous blocks

  • 302 Class 0-6-0ST
  • 360 Class 0-6-0
  • 388 Class 'standard goods' 0-6-0
  • 455 Class 2-4-0T
  • 517 Class 0-4-2T
  • 633 Class 0-6-0T
  • 645 Class 0-6-0ST
  • 806 Class 2-4-0
  • 850 Class 0-6-0ST
  • 927 Class 'coal goods' 0-6-0
  • 1016 Class 0-6-0ST
  • 1076 Class 'Buffalo' 0-6-0ST

[edit] William Dean locomotives (1877-1902)

Locomotives were not numbered in continuous blocks

  • No. 1 4-4-0T later 2-4-0T
  • No.s 7, 8, 14, 16 experimental 2-4-0, later4-4-0
  • No. 13 2-4-2T, later 4-4-0ST
  • No.s 17 - 19 0-6-4 crane tanks
  • No. 45 0-4-0ST
  • 119 Class 0-6-0ST
  • 322 Class 0-6-0ST
  • 655 Class 0-6-0ST
  • 1501 Class 0-6-0ST
  • 1661 Class 0-6-0ST
  • 1813 Class 0-6-0ST
  • 1854 Class 0-6-0ST
  • 1901 Class 0-6-0ST
  • 2021 Class 0-6-0ST
  • 2301 Class 'Dean goods' 0-6-0
  • 2361 Class 0-6-0
  • 2600 Class 'Aberdare' 2-6-0
  • 2721 Class 0-6-0ST
  • 3001 Class 2-2-2, later 4-2-2
  • 3031 Class 4-2-2
  • 3201 Class 2-4-0
  • 3206 Class 'Barnum' 2-4-0
  • 3226 Class 2-4-0
GWR 4-4-0 '3700' (City) Class, no. 3440 City of Truro
GWR 4-4-0 '3700' (City) Class, no. 3440 City of Truro
GWR 1361 Class 1363 at Didcot Railway Centre, 2005
GWR 1361 Class 1363 at Didcot Railway Centre, 2005

[edit] George Jackson Churchward locomotives (1902-1922)

1466, one of the four preserved 1400 Class 0-4-2T
1466, one of the four preserved 1400 Class 0-4-2T
5972 Olton Hall in fictitious red livery for the filming of the Harry Potter films.
5972 Olton Hall in fictitious red livery for the filming of the Harry Potter films.

[edit] Charles Collett locomotives (1922-1941)

1501 is the only survivor from a class of ten. They were the only GWR pannier tank engines with outside cylinders and Walschaerts valve gear.
1501 is the only survivor from a class of ten. They were the only GWR pannier tank engines with outside cylinders and Walschaerts valve gear.

[edit] Frederick Hawksworth locomotives (1941-1949)

[edit] Locomotives of Constituent Companies

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

[edit] Alexandra (Newport and South Wales) Docks and Railway

39 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1922.

[edit] Barry Railway

148 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1922 and given random numbers in several series.

  • Barry Railway A class - 5 0-6-0T locomotives
  • Barry Railway B class -21 0-6-2T locomotives
  • Barry Railway B1 class - 42 0-6-2T locomotives
  • Barry Railway C class - 2 2-4-2T locomotives
  • Barry Railway D class - 4 0-8-0 locomotives
  • Barry Railway E class - 5 0-6-0T locomotives
  • Barry Railway F class - 28 0-6-0ST locomotives
  • Barry Railway G class - 4 0-4-4T locomotives
  • Barry Railway H class - 7 0-8-2T locomotives
  • Barry Railway K class - 6 0-6-2T locomotives
  • Barry Railway J class - 11 2-6-2T locomotives
  • Barry Railway L class - 10 0-6-4T locomotives

[edit] Brecon and Merthyr Railway

47 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1922.

[edit] Bristol and Exeter Railway

Bristol and Exeter Railway locomotives were absorbed on 1 January 1876. The broad gauge locomotives were numbered in the series 2001 to 20; the standard gauge locomotives were numbered in the series 1353 - 1382.

[edit] Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway

15 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1922.

[edit] Cambrian Railways

94 standard gauge locomotives acquired on 1 January 1922 given random numbers in various series..

[edit] Vale of Rheidol Railway

Three 1 ft 11½ in (597 mm) gauge locomotives acquired with the Cambrian Railways on 1 January 1922, also two new locomotives, similar to the earlier 2-6-2Ts, built in 1923.

  • 7 new 2-6-2T, built 1923
  • 8 new 2-6-2T, built 1923
  • 1198 ex-VoR 2-4-0T, withdrawn 1924
  • 1212 ex-VoR 2-6-2T, withdrawn 1932
  • 1213 ex-VoR 2-6-2T, renumbered 9 in 1949

[edit] Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway

Two 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge 0-6-0T locomotives acquired with the Cambrian Railways on 1 January 1922.

  • 822 The Earl
  • 823 The Countess

[edit] Cardiff Railway

36 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1922.

  • 151 - 163 Kitson & Co. 0-6-2ST
  • 681 - 684 Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST
  • 685 - 687, 690 - 692 Kitson & Co. 0-6-0T
  • 693 Kitson & Co. 0-6-0PT
  • 694 - 697 Parfitt and Jenkins 0-6-0ST
  • 698 Cardiff Docks 0-6-0ST
  • 1327 ex-London and North Western Railway 2-4-2T
  • 1338, 1339 Kitson & Co. 0-4-0ST
  • 1667, 1676, 1689 ex-GWR 1661 Class 0-6-0ST

[edit] Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway

Two locomotives were acquired on 1 January 1922

[edit] Cornwall Minerals Railway

Nine locomotives were transferred from the Cornwall Mineral Railway on 1 July 1877, and one further one on 1 July 1896.

[edit] Corris Railway

2 ft 3 in (686 mm) narrow gauge locomotives:

[edit] Gwendraeth Valley Railway

2 0-6-0ST locomotives were acquired on 1 January 1923. One was given the GWR number 26, but the second (Margret) was sold in 1923 without being allocated a GWR number.

[edit] Liskeard and Caradon Railway

Three locomotives were acquired on 1 January 1909, they were used on both the Caradon and the Liskeard and Looe Railways. GWR experimental 4-4-0ST number 13 was also regularly used on the line, at first hired to the Liskeard and Caradon, but it continued to be used after the Great Western Railway took over operations.

[edit] Llanelly Railway

The 21 locomotives acquired in 1873 were renumbered into the 894 - 914 series.

[edit] Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway

8 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1923.

[edit] Llynvi and Ogmore Railway

12 locomotives were acquired in 1873, including four which had originated on the West Cornwall Railway. They were renumbered in the 915 - 926 series.

[edit] Midland and South Western Junction Railway

The M&SWJR's Locomotive Superintendent from 1903 to 1923 was James Tyrell.

29 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1923:

The three Dübs 2-4-0s were the only M&SWJR locomotives to survive into British Railways ownership in 1948. At least one of them was used on the Lambourn Valley Railway, probably because of its light axle load.

[edit] Monmouthshire Railway

52 locomotives were taken over in 1875. They were renumbered into the 1301 - 1352 series.

[edit] Neath and Brecon Railway

15 locomotives acquired on 1 July 1922.

[edit] Pembroke and Tenby Railway

8 locomotives acquired on 1 July 1896.

[edit] Port Talbot Railway

22 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1922.

[edit] Powesland and Mason

9 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1924.

[edit] Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway

37 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1922.

[edit] Rhymney Railway

123 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1922 given numbers in random series.

[edit] South Devon Railway

The 85 broad gauge locomotives added to the Great Western Railway fleet on 1 February 1876 included not just the South Devon Railway locomotives but also the 19 owned by the Cornwall Railway and 8 from the West Cornwall Railway, which had all operated in a common pool since 1866. They were numbered in the 2096 - 2180 series but, generally, also retained their names.

[edit] South Wales Mineral Railway

5 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1923.

[edit] Swansea Harbour Trust

14 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1923.

[edit] Taff Vale Railway

275 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1922 given numbers in random series.

  • Taff Vale Railway A class - 58 0-6-2T locomotives
  • Taff Vale Railway C class - 6 4-4-2T locomotives
  • Taff Vale Railway D class - 8 0-6-0ST locomotives
  • Taff Vale Railway E class - 2 0-6-0ST locomotives
  • Taff Vale Railway H class - 3 0-6-0T locomotives
  • Taff Vale Railway K class - 33 0-6-0 locomotives
  • Taff Vale Railway L class - 9 0-6-0 locomotives
  • Taff Vale Railway M1 class - 41 0-6-2T locomotives
  • Taff Vale Railway N class - 10 0-6-2T locomotives
  • Taff Vale Railway O class - 6 0-6-2T locomotives
  • Taff Vale Railway O1 class - 14 0-6-2T locomotives
  • Taff Vale Railway O2 class - 9 0-6-2T locomotives
  • Taff Vale Railway O3 class - 15 0-6-2T locomotives
  • Taff Vale Railway O4 class - 41 0-6-2T locomotives
  • Taff Vale Railway U class - 8 0-6-2T locomotives
  • Taff Vale Railway U1 class - 7 0-6-2T locomotives
  • Taff Vale Railway V class - 6 0-6-0ST locomotives
  • Taff Vale Railway S class - 1 0-4-0ST locomotive
  • Taff Vale Railway T class - 1 0-4-0ST locomotive

[edit] Vale of Neath Railway

The 19 broad gauge locomotives acquired in 1866 retained their original numbers; the six standard gauge locomotives were renumbered into the 413 - 418 series.

[edit] West Cornwall Railway

The eight West Cornwall Railway broad gauge locomotives were operated in a common pool with the South Devon Railway locomotives and are detailed in that section, above. At the same time, 1 February 1876, another eight standard gauge locomotives were also acquired. These were renumbered 1384 - 1391.

Boxhill, an LB&SCR A1 Class loco, is preserved as part of the National Collection at the National Railway Museum.
Boxhill, an LB&SCR A1 Class loco, is preserved as part of the National Collection at the National Railway Museum.

[edit] Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway

Two locomotives were transferred to the Great Western Railway when this line closed in 1940:

[edit] Ystalyfera Tin Works

[edit] See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

[edit] References

  • The ABC of Great Western Locomotives (Ian Allen Ltd 7th Edition) (?)1945
  • The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway, Part 2: Broad Gauge. The Railway Correspondence and Travel Society. ISBN 0-901115-32-0. 
  • Casserley, H.C.; Johnston, S.C. (1966). Locomotives at the Grouping: Great Western Railway. Shepperton: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0-7110-0555-9. 
  • MacDermot, E T (1931). History of the Great Western Railway, Volume 2. London: Great Western Railway. 
  • Russell, J.H. (1975). A Pictorial Record of Great Western Engines, Volume 1. Oxford: Oxford Publishing Company. ISBN 0-86093-398-9. 
  • Stephenson, Brian (1998). "The Pre-1923 GWR Pannier and Saddle Tank Locomotives". Locomotives Illustrated (118). RAS Publishing. ISSN 0307-1804. 
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
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Great Western Railway locomotives
Broad gauge

Ariadne · Banking · Bogie · Caesar · Firefly · Hercules · Iron Duke · Leo · Metropolitan · Premier · Prince · Pyracmon · Star · Sun · Victoria · Waverley
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