The first Locomotives of the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

(GWR) were specified by

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Isambard Kingdom Brunel (; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859) was a British civil engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history," "one of the 19th-century engineering giants," and "on ...

but

Daniel Gooch Sir Daniel Gooch, 1st Baronet (24 August 1816 – 15 October 1889) was an English railway locomotive and transatlantic cable engineer. He was the first Locomotive Superintendent, Superintendent of Locomotive Engines on the Great Western Rai ...

was soon appointed as the railway's Locomotive Superintendent. He designed several different

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 , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union ( C ...

types for the growing railway, such as the

Firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

and later Iron Duke Class

2-2-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-2-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, two powered driving wheels on one axle, and two trailing wheels on one axle. The wheel arrangemen ...

s. In 1864 Gooch was succeeded by Joseph Armstrong who brought his

standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in E ...

experience to the workshops at Swindon. To replace some of the earlier locomotives, he put broad gauge wheels on his standard gauge locomotives and from this time on all locomotives were given numbers, including the broad gauge ones that had previously carried just names. Joseph Armstrong's early death in 1877 meant that the next phase of motive power design was the responsibility of William Dean, his assistant and successor. Dean went on to develop express

4-4-0 4-4-0 is a locomotive type with a classification that uses the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement and represents the arrangement: four leading wheels on two axles (usually in a leading bogie), four ...

types, but the familiar

4-6-0 A 4-6-0 steam locomotive, under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, has four leading wheels on two axles in a leading bogie and six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles with the ...

s of later years were initially introduced by the next engineer,

George Jackson Churchward George Jackson Churchward (31 January 1857 – 19 December 1933) was an English railway engineer, and was chief mechanical engineer of the Great Western Railway (GWR) in the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1922. Early life Churchward was born at ...

. He was also responsible for the introduction of self-propelled Steam Rail Motors for suburban and light branch line passenger trains. Next came

Charles Collett Charles Benjamin Collett (10 September 1871 – 5 April 1952) was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Great Western Railway from 1922 to 1941. He designed (amongst others) the GWR's Castle and King Class express passenger locomotives. Education ...

in 1921; he standardised the many types of locomotives then in service, producing the iconic

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

and

Kings Kings or King's may refer to: *Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh'' ...

. He also introduced diesel power in the form of

streamlined Streamlines, streaklines and pathlines are field lines in a fluid flow. They differ only when the flow changes with time, that is, when the flow is not steady. Considering a velocity vector field in three-dimensional space in the framework of ...

rail cars in 1934. The final engineer was Frederick Hawksworth who took control in 1941 and produced GWR-design locomotives until after nationalisation in 1948. The GWR expanded rapidly from 1854 by amalgamating with other railways. In 1876 most of the remaining broad gauge companies became a part of the GWR. The

Railways Act 1921 The Railways Act 1921 (c. 55), also known as the Grouping Act, was an Act of Parliament enacted by the British government and intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, by "grouping" them into four la ...

finally brought most of the remaining independent companies in the area under its control. Many early locomotives were replaced by standard GWR designs, but many others were rebuilt using standardised components.

Livery

For most of the period of its existence, the GWR painted its locomotives a middle chrome green. They initially had Indian red frames but this was later changed to black. Name and numberplates were generally of polished brass with a black background, and chimneys often had copper rims or "caps".

Great Western Railway locomotives

Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1835 - 1837)

The GWR's first

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, motor coach, railcar or power car; the ...

s were specified by

but did not prove too successful. In order to meet his demands some novel ideas were tried such as the Haigh Foundry's geared locomotives and TE Harrison's ''

Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Dep ...

'' and '' Thunderer'' which had the engine and boiler on separate chassis. * Haigh Foundry 2-2-2s – ''Snake'' and ''Viper'' * R and W Hawthorn locomotives – ''

'' and '' Thunderer'' * Mather, Dixon 2-2-2s – ''Premier'', ''Ajax'', etc. * Sharp, Roberts 2-2-2s – ''Atlas'', ''Eagle'', and ''Lion'' * Robert Stephenson locomotives – ''Morning Star'' and ''North Star'' * Charles Tayleur 2-2-2s – ''Vulcan'', ''Apollo'', etc.

Daniel Gooch (1837 - 1864)

More conventional locomotives were soon ordered by

when he was appointed as the railway's Locomotive Superintendent. Following on from the Star Class that he ordered from

Robert Stephenson and Company Robert Stephenson and Company was a locomotive manufacturing company founded in 1823 in Forth Street, Newcastle upon Tyne in England. It was the first company in the world created specifically to build railway engines. Famous early locomoti ...

, he designed a series of standardised and successful locomotive types starting with the

and

Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

classes of passenger locomotives, and the Leo and

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the ...

classes for goods trains. By 1846

Swindon Works Swindon railway works was opened by the Great Western Railway in 1843 in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. It served as the principal west England maintenance centre until closed in 1986. History In 1835 Parliament approved the construction of the ...

had been established and was able to build its own locomotives. The most familiar from this period are the Iron Duke Class

s with their driving wheels, a type that operated express trains right up to the end of the broad gauge in 1892. Gooch further developed the broad gauge locomotive fleet, producing the first bogie tank design for the steep and curving South Devon lines in 1849, and condensing locomotives for the

Metropolitan Railway The Metropolitan Railway (also known as the Met) was a passenger and goods railway that served London from 1863 to 1933, its main line heading north-west from the capital's financial heart in the City to what were to become the Middlesex su ...

in 1862. He produced over 100 Ariadne class goods locomotives to a standardised design at a time when most classes ran to only ten or twenty locomotives, and components he designed were often interchangeable between different classes. With the acquisition of the northern standard gauge lines in 1854 came 56 locomotives, a second workshop at Wolverhampton, and Joseph Armstrong. Wolverhampton was responsible for maintaining standard gauge locomotives for many years, although

did design some new locomotives that were built at Swindon and carried to Wolverhampton on special trucks. The first, the 57 class were

0-6-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and no trailing wheels. This was the most common wheel arrang ...

goods locomotives built in 1855. At the same time some 69 class passenger locomotives were built by

Beyer, Peacock and Company Beyer, Peacock and Company was an English railway locomotive manufacturer with a factory in Openshaw, Manchester. Founded by Charles Beyer, Richard Peacock and Henry Robertson, it traded from 1854 until 1966. The company exported locomotives, ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

so were able to be transported on their own wheels. By the time that Armstrong replaced Gooch at Swindon in 1864 many more locomotives had been acquired with the

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liv ...

and

West Midland Railway The West Midland Railway was an early British railway company. It was formed on 1 July 1860 by a merger of several older railway companies and amalgamated with the Great Western Railway on 1 August 1863. It was the successor to the Oxford, Worc ...

Broad gauge * Ariadne class 0-6-0 * Banking class 0-6-0ST * Bogie class 4-4-0ST * Caesar class 0-6-0 * Caliph class 0-6-0 * Firefly class 2-2-2 * Hercules class 0-6-0 * Iron Duke class 4-2-2 * Leo class 2-4-0 * Metropolitan class 2-4-0T * Premier class 0-6-0 * Prince class 2-2-2 * Pyracmon class 0-6-0 * Sir Watkin class 0-6-0T * Star Class 2-2-2 * Sun class 2-2-2 * Victoria class 2-4-0 * Waverley class 4-4-0 Standard gauge * 57 Class 0-6-0 * 69 Class 2-2-2 * 77 and 167 Classes 0-6-0 * 79 Class 0-6-0 * 91 Class 0-4-0ST * 93 Class 0-6-0T * 131 Class 0-6-0 * "Sharps" or 157 Class 2-2-2 * "England" or "Chancellor" Class 2-4-0 * 320 Class 2-4-0WT * 322 or "Beyer" Class 0-6-0

Joseph Armstrong (Wolverhampton 1854 - 1864, Swindon 1864 - 1877)

In 1864 Gooch was succeeded by Joseph Armstrong who brought his

experience gained in the Northern Division to bear on the larger broad gauge locomotives. He designed the Hawthorn class of

2-4-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles and no trailing wheels. The notation 2-4-0T indi ...

and, in 1870, started the renewal of the Iron Dukes with more powerful boilers. The conversion of many broad gauge lines to standard gauge meant that this was a period of consolidation but in 1876 the amalgamation of the Bristol and Exeter and

South Devon Railway locomotives South Devon Railway locomotives were broad gauge locomotives that operated over the South Devon Railway, Cornwall Railway, and West Cornwall Railway in England. They were, at times, operated by contractors on behalf of the railways. Operators ...

saw 180 locomotives added to the GWR's fleet. To replace some of these earlier locomotives, Armstrong put broad gauge wheels on his standard gauge 1076 Class and from this time on GWR locomotives were given numbers rather than the names that had been carried by broad gauge locomotives up till then. Armstrong developed the

as his preferred express locomotive, producing 30 of the Sir Daniel class from 1866 and 21 of the Queen class from 1873. Smaller

s, such as the 439 class of 1868, worked slower passenger trains while

s, such as the 388 class, continued to operate freight trains. Tank locomotives were constructed to operate lighter trains and branch lines, the most familiar of which were the 1076 "Buffalo" class

STs (later 0-6-0PT), and the 455 "Metro" class

Ts. Broad gauge * Hawthorn class 2-4-0, later 2-4-0ST * Swindon class 0-6-0 * Rover class 4-2-2 * Standard goods 0-6-0 * 1076 Class 0-6-0ST Standard gauge * Queen/Sir Alexander Class 2-2-2 * Sir Daniel Class 2-2-2 * 7/8/30/32/110 Class 2-2-2 * 17 Class 2-4-0ST * 56/717 Class 2-4-0 * 111 Class 2-4-0 * 302 Class 0-6-0ST * 360 Class 0-6-0 * 388 Class "Standard Goods" 0-6-0 * 439 "Bicycle" Class 2-4-0 * 455 Class 2-4-0T * 481 Class 2-4-0 * 806 Class 2-4-0 * 927 Class "Coal Goods" 0-6-0 * 1076 Class 'Buffalo' 0-6-0ST

George Armstrong (Wolverhampton 1864 - 1897)

After his brother was promoted to Swindon, George Armstrong took his place at Wolverhampton and for the next 33 years continued to repair, rebuild and build standard-gauge locomotives in a spirit of independence from Swindon, just as Joseph had done during his own ten years at Wolverhampton. Most of the new locomotives built there were tank engines, some of them very long-lived; a few even survived the Second World War. * 34 Class 0-6-0 * 108 Class 2-4-0 * 119 Class 0-6-0ST * 322 Class 0-6-0ST * 517 Class 0-4-2T * 633 Class 0-6-0T * 645 Class 0-6-0ST * 655 Class 0-6-0ST * 850 Class 0-6-0ST * 1016 Class 0-6-0ST * 1501 Class 0-6-0ST * 1901 Class 0-6-0ST

William Dean (1877 - 1902)

Joseph Armstrong's early death in 1877 meant that the final phase of broad gauge motive power was the responsibility of William Dean. He continued the Iron Duke renewal programme and added more convertibles, including some of Armstrong's 388 class goods locomotives. He also developed some elegant express locomotives such as the 3031 Class singles. Following the abandonment of the broad gauge on 20 May 1892 the majority of the remaining 195 broad gauge locomotives were taken to "the dump" at Swindon. Most of the convertible locomotives were altered to run on the standard gauge over the following 18 months while the remainder were cut up. Dean had worked under Armstrong on and off for 22 years before becoming his successor and he perpetuated his locomotive policy for some time. He later produced standardised 0-6-0 and

2-6-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and no trailing wheels. ...

goods locomotives (the 2301 and 2600 "Aberdare" classes), and 0-6-0STs of various sizes (the

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

and 2721 classes). For express trains he initially developed the 2-2-2 type, culminating with the elegant 3031 class. He later moved on to the

type, producing the Badminton and Atbara classes with wheels, and the

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are r ...

and

Bulldog The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.3600 class

2-4-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles and two trailing wheels on one axle. The type is somet ...

T locomotives. Broad gauge * Nos. 8, 14, 16 2-4-0 * 3001 class 2-2-2 * 3501 class 2-4-0T * 3521 class 0-4-2ST, later 0-4-4T Standard gauge The majority of saddle tanks were rebuilt with pannier tanks from 1902 onwards. * No. 1 4-4-0T later 2-4-0T * Nos. 7, 8, 14, 16 experimental 2-4-0, later 4-4-0 * No. 13 2-4-2T, later 4-4-0ST * Nos. 17-19 0-6-4PT crane tanks (based on 850 Class) * No. 36 4-6-0 * No. 45 0-4-0ST * River (69 Class) 2-4-0 * Sharpies/Cobham (157 Class) 2-2-2 * 1661 Class 0-6-0ST * 1813 Class 0-6-0ST * 1854 Class 0-6-0ST * 2021 Class 0-6-0ST * 2201 Class 2-4-0 * 2301 Class 'Dean goods' 0-6-0 * 2361 Class 0-6-0 * 2600 Class 'Aberdare' 2-6-0 * 2602 Class 'Kruger' 2-6-0, one of the prototypes a 4-6-0 * 2721 Class 0-6-0ST * 3001 Class 2-2-2, later 4-2-2 * 3031 Class 'Dean single' or 'Achilles' 4-2-2 * 3201 Class 2-4-0 * 3206 Class 'Barnum' 2-4-0 * 3226 Class 2-4-0 * 3232 Class 2-4-0 * 3252 Class 'Duke' and 'Bird' 4-4-0 * 3300 Class 'Bulldog' 4-4-0 * 3501 Class ex-broad gauge 2-4-0T * 3521 Class 0-4-2T, later 0-4-4T then 4-4-0 (some tank locomotives ex-broad gauge) * 3571 Class 0-4-2T * 3600 Class 2-4-2T * 4100 Class 'Badminton', 'Atbara', and 'Flower' 4-4-0 * 4120 Class 'Atbara' 4-4-0 * 4149 Class 'Flower' 4-4-0

George Jackson Churchward (1902-1922)

started his railway career in the South Devon Railway locomotive workshops at

Newton Abbot Newton Abbot is a market town and civil parish on the River Teign in the Teignbridge District of Devon, England. Its 2011 population of 24,029 was estimated to reach 26,655 in 2019. It grew rapidly in the Victorian era as the home of the So ...

. After that company became a part of the GWR in 1876 he was sent to Swindon and worked under Armstrong and Dean. After his appointment as Locomotive Superintendent in 1902 he developed a series of standard locomotive types with flat-topped

Belpaire firebox The Belpaire firebox is a type of firebox used on steam locomotives. It was invented by Alfred Belpaire of Belgium in 1864. Today it generally refers to the shape of the outer shell of the firebox which is approximately flat at the top and s ...

es, tapered

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, central ...

s, long

smokebox A smokebox is one of the major basic parts of a steam locomotive exhaust system. Smoke and hot gases pass from the firebox through tubes where they pass heat to the surrounding water in the boiler. The smoke then enters the smokebox, and is e ...

es, boiler

top feed A spinning top, or simply a top, is a toy with a squat body and a sharp point at the bottom, designed to be rotation, spun on its vertical Axis of rotation, axis, balancing on the tip due to the gyroscopic effect. Once set in motion, a top will ...

s, long-lap long-travel

valve gear The valve gear of a steam engine is the mechanism that operates the inlet and exhaust valves to admit steam into the cylinder and allow exhaust steam to escape, respectively, at the correct points in the cycle. It can also serve as a reversing ...

, and many standardised parts such as wheels,

cylinders A cylinder (from ) has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an in ...

and

connecting rods A connecting rod, also called a 'con rod', is the part of a piston engine which connects the piston to the crankshaft. Together with the crank, the connecting rod converts the reciprocating motion of the piston into the rotation of the cranksha ...

. For express passenger trains he quickly turned out the City class of

s, the first taking to the rails in 1903. The following year one of these, 3717 ''City of Truro'', was reputedly the first locomotive in the world to exceed 100 mph. A larger 4-4-0 was produced in 1904 in the form of the County class, but further increases in size demanded more wheels. Experiments had already been made for a

design while Dean was still in charge, and these continued under Churchward; the first 4-6-0, number 100, appeared in 1902 as the initial prototype of what became the Saint class. One locomotive was converted to a 4-4-2 for direct trials against

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

designs that he tried on the GWR in 1903. These experiments moved the GWR towards using four cylinders and they even tried a

4-6-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and two trailing wheels on one axle. The locomo ...

, 111 ''The Great Bear'' which was the first locomotive of this type in the United Kingdom. Production 4-6-0s appeared in 1905 as the two-cylinder Saint class, and were followed in 1906 by the four-cylinder Star class. A freight version of the Saint, the

2-8-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wh ...

2800 class was introduced in 1903. For lighter trains a series of

s were turned out in 1911, the 4300 class, which were to become the most numerous GWR tender locomotives. In 1919 this design was enlarged to become the 4700 class 2-8-0s. Churchward's standardisation aims meant that a number of tank locomotives were produced that were based on these tender locomotives. The 2221 class of 1905 were a 4-4-2 tank version of the County class, indeed they were known as the "County Tanks". These were then developed into a

2-6-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Prairie. Overview The ...

T design, being produced as the 3100 class in 1903 and the 3150 class three years later. Smaller 2-6-2Ts, the 4400 class were introduced in 1904 and were succeeded by the slightly larger 4500 class in 1906. Two very different freight tank locomotive types appeared in 1910. The 4200 class was a tank version of the 2800 class, but a demand for small locomotives for working on dock and branch lines was met by the 1361 class, a new design based on the old

Cornwall Minerals Railway The Cornwall Minerals Railway owned and operated a network of of standard gauge railway lines in central Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It started by taking over an obsolescent horse-operated tramway in 1862, and it improved and extended i ...

0-6-0ST design but using as many of Churchward's standard parts as possible. Other innovations during Churchward's office included the introduction of self-propelled Steam Rail Motors for suburban and light branch line passenger trains. From 1915 his post was renamed that of the 'Chief Mechanical Engineer'. He also remodelled Swindon Works, building the boiler-erecting shops and the first static locomotive-testing plant in the United Kingdom. GWR 1361 Class 1363

* 101 Class 0-4-0T (oil burning): 101 * The Great Bear (

): 111 * 1361 Class (

ST): 1361–1365 * County Tank Class (

4-4-2T Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, represents a configuration of a four-wheeled leading bogie, four powered and coupled driving wheels, and two trailing wheels supporting part of the weig ...

): 2221–2250 * 2800 Class (

): 2800–2883 * Saint Class (

): 2900–2955, 2971-2990, 2998 * 3100 Class (

T): 31xx (later 51xx) * 3150 Class (

T): 3150–3190 * City Class (

): 3700–3719 * County Class (

): 3800–3839 * Star Class (

): 4000–4072 * 4200 Class (

T): 4200–4299, 5200–5204 * 4300 Class (

): 4300-4399, 5300-5399, 6300-6399, 7300-7321, 8300-8399, 9300-9320 * 4400 Class (

T): 4400–4410 * 4500 Class (

T): 4500–4574 * 4600 Class ( 4-4-2 T): 4600 * 4700 Class (

): 4700–4708 * Steam railmotors * Petrol-electric railcar

Charles Collett (1922-1941)

became the Chief Mechanical Engineer in 1921. Almost straight away he had to take on all the locomotives of myriad types from the railways absorbed in 1922 and 1923. Many of these were 'Swindonised', that is they were rebuilt using standard GWR parts. He also set about designing many new types to replace the older examples. Many of the most familiar GWR tank locomotive classes were designed during this period: the 1400 class for small branch lines and auto trains; the 4575 class (a development of the 4500 class with larger tanks) and the large 6100 class 2-6-2Ts; the massive 7200 class of rebuilt 4200 class 2-8-2Ts; and the iconic pannier tanks of the 5700 class, the first of which appeared in 1929. Collett further developed the 4-6-0 type as the ideal GWR express locomotive, extending the Stars into

Castles A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified ...

in 1923, and then producing the largest of them all, the four-cylinder King class, in 1927. He also produced slightly smaller types for mixed traffic (either passenger and goods) duties, the Hall class in 1928, the Grange class in 1934, and the Manor class in 1934. All these continued to carry appropriate names. For lighter goods services he produced his own standard 0-6-0, the 2251 class. It was under Collett's control that diesel power first appeared on the GWR. He introduced the first

rail cars in 1934 and by 1942 38 had been built, although the latter ones had more angular styling. Some were configured for long distance express services with buffet counters, others for branch line or parcels work, and some were designed as two-car sets. 5043 and 7029 Tyseley

* Sentinel geared locomotive (

0-4-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven. The wheels on the earliest four-coupled locomotives were ...

T G): 12 * 1101 Class (

T): 1101–1106 * 1366 Class (

PT): 1366–1371 * 1400 Class (

0-4-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement with no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles and two trailing wheels on one axle. While the first locom ...

T): 1400–1474 (renumbered 1946 from corresponding numbers in 48xx group – below) * 2251 Class (

): 2200–2299, 3200–3219 * 2884 Class (

): 2884–2899, 3800–3866 * 3100 Class (

T): 3100–3104 * Earl or Dukedog Class (

): 3200–3228, 3265 (later 9000–9028, 9065) * Castle Class (

): 4073–4099, 5000–5099, 7000–7037 * 4575 Class (

T): 4575–4599, 5500–5574 * 4800 Class (

T): 4800–4874 (later 1400–1474) * Hall Class (

): 4900–4999, 5900–5999, 6900–6958 * 5101 Class (

T): 5101–5199, 4100–4179 * 5205 Class (

T): 5205–5264 * 5400 Class (

PT): 5400–5424 * 5600 Class (

0-6-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and two trailing wheels on one axle. The type is sometimes kno ...

T): 5600–5699, 6600–6699 * 5700 Class (

PT): 57xx, 67xx, 77xx, 87xx, 97xx, 36xx, 37xx, 46xx, 96xx * 5800 Class (

T): 5800–5819 * King Class (

): 6000–6029 * 6100 Class (

T): 6100–6169 * 6400 Class (

PT): 6400–6439 * Grange Class (

):6800–6879 * 7200 Class (

2-8-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and two trailing w ...

T): 7200–7253 * 7400 Class (

PT): 7400–7449 * Manor Class (

): 7800–7829 * 8100 Class (

T): 8100–8109 * GWR diesel shunters: Diesel shunters 1 and 2 *

GWR railcars In 1933, the Great Western Railway introduced the first of what was to become a very successful series of diesel railcars, which survived in regular use into the 1960s, when they were replaced with the new British Rail "first generation" type ...

: Diesel railcars 1–38

Frederick Hawksworth (1941-1949)

Frederick Hawksworth only became the Chief Mechanical Engineer in 1941 and the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

meant that his new designs were few. He updated Collett's Hall class to produce the

GWR 6959 Class The Great Western Railway (GWR) 6959 or Modified Hall Class is a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotive. They were a development by Frederick Hawksworth of Charles Collett's earlier GWR Hall Class, Hall Class named after English and Welsh English count ...

, known as "Modified Halls", and produced the last GWR 2-cylinder 4-6-0s, the County class

, which ended a tradition that had begun with the Saint class 42 years before. Their boilers were based on those of the

LMS Stanier Class 8F The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Stanier Class 8F is a class of steam locomotives designed for hauling heavy freight. 852 were built between 1935 and 1946 (not all to LMS order), as a freight version of William Stanier's successful ...

2-8-0, a number of which had been built at Swindon during the War. Other designs included three designs of 0-6-0PT: the

taper boiler A fire-tube boiler is a type of boiler in which hot gases pass from a fire through one or more tubes running through a sealed container of water. The heat of the gases is transferred through the walls of the tubes by thermal conduction, heating t ...

ed 9400 class; the 1500 class with outside

Walschaerts The Walschaerts valve gear is a type of valve gear used to regulate the flow of steam to the pistons in steam locomotives, invented by Belgian railway engineer Egide Walschaerts in 1844. The gear is sometimes named without the final "s", since ...

valve gear and no running plate designed for pilot work around large stations; and the very light 1600 Class. Rth Rly GWR 1501 Bewdley 22

* County Class (

): 1000–1029 * 1500 Class (

PT): 1500–1509 * 1600 Class (

PT): 1600–1669 * Modified Hall Class (

): 6959–6999, 7900–7929 * 9400 Class (

PT): 9400–9499, 8400–8499, 3400–3409 * GWR diesel shunters: Diesel shunters 501-507 (Introduced as BR 15101-15107) * GWR Gas turbine-electric locomotives, introduced as

British Rail 18000 British Rail 18000 was a prototype mainline gas turbine-electric locomotive built for British Railways in 1949 by Brown, Boveri & Cie. An earlier gas-turbine locomotive, 18100, had been ordered from Metropolitan-Vickers by the Great Western R ...

and

British Rail 18100 British Rail 18100 was a prototype main line gas turbine-electric locomotive built for British Railways in 1951 by Metropolitan-Vickers, Manchester. It had, however, been ordered by the Great Western Railway in the 1940s, but construction was de ...

Locomotives of amalgamated companies (1854 - 1920)

Bristol and Exeter Railway The Bristol & Exeter Railway (B&ER) was an English railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter. It was built on the broad gauge and its engineer was Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It opened in stages between 1841 and 1844. It was allied with t ...

Bristol and Exeter Railway locomotives The Bristol and Exeter Railway locomotives worked trains on the Bristol and Exeter Railway from 1 May 1849 until the railway was amalgamated with the Great Western Railway on 1 January 1876. The Great Western Railway had leased the Bristol and ...

were absorbed on 1 January 1876. The

locomotives were numbered in the series 2001 to 2095; the

locomotives were numbered in the series 1353 – 1382. * 1353 – 1382 standard gauge locomotives * 2001 – 2004 Broad gauge 8 feet 10 inch 4-2-4T * 2005 – 2006 Broad gauge 8 feet 10 inch 4-2-4T * 2007 – 2014 Broad gauge 4-2-2 * 2015 – 2024 Broad gauge 2-4-0 * 2025 – 2027 Convertible 2-4-0 * 2028 – 2053 Broad gauge 4-4-0ST * 2054 – 2057 Broad gauge 2-2-2T * 2058 ex-

South Wales Mineral Railway The South Wales Mineral Railway was a railway built to serve collieries in the upper Afan Valley, and bring their output to a dock at Briton Ferry, in South Wales. It opened in stages, in 1861 and 1863. It was built on the broad gauge and had ste ...

broad gauge 0-4-2T * 2059 – 2076 Broad gauge 0-6-0 * 2077 – 2090 ex- GWR Swindon Class 0-6-0 * 2091 Broad gauge 0-6-0T * 2092 – 2093 Broad gauge 0-6-0ST * 2094 – 2095 Broad gauge 0-4-0T

Bristol Port Railway & Pier

Jointly vested with the

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It ama ...

from 1 September 1890. Opened on 6 March 1865, the line was worked by the contractor

Waring Bros Waring is an English surname with two derivation hypotheses: from the Frankish ''Warin'', meaning 'guard,' via Norman French ''Guarin,'' or from the Anglo-Saxon ''Wæring'', meaning 'confederate' or, more literally, 'oath companion.' Both hypothes ...

until 1869 when the company was left to make its own arrangements. Two locomotives were owned by the company but never taken into stock of either the

or the Midland Railway. They were 0-4-2Ts which appear to have been rebuilt from ex-

London and North Western Railway The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom. In 1923, it became a constituent of the Lo ...

tender engines.

Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway The Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway was a broad gauge railway line in Wales that was intended to connect Carmarthen on the South Wales Railway with Cardigan. In fact, it was unable to raise the necessary capital and was loss-making from the tim ...

Carmarthen & Cardigan Railway was amalgamated with the

on 1 July 1881. Three locomotives (+ 1) * 1 645 Class 0-6-0ST/0-6-0PT, WPN No 196, GWR No (1881) 902, bought November 1872 * 2 645 Class 0-6-0ST/0-6-0PT, WPN No 194, GWR No (1881) 903, bought October 1872 * 3 645 Class 0-6-0ST/0-6-0PT, WPN No 189, GWR No (1881) 904, bought May 1876 * Victor Fossick & Hackworth, Wks No 176, built 1864 ex

Llanelly Railway The Llanelly Railway and Dock Company was an early Welsh railway system. It opened its first short line and a wet dock at Llanelly in 1834, and soon went on to build a longer line from Llanelly to serve pits in the Amman Valley, and then on to Lla ...

, 0-6-0, bought December 1872

Cornwall Minerals Railway The Cornwall Minerals Railway owned and operated a network of of standard gauge railway lines in central Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It started by taking over an obsolescent horse-operated tramway in 1862, and it improved and extended i ...

Nine locomotives were transferred from the Cornwall Mineral Railway on 1 July 1877, and one further one on 1 July 1896. * 1388

Peckett and Sons Peckett and Sons was a locomotive manufacturer at the Atlas Locomotive Works on Deep Pit Road between Fishponds and St. George, Bristol, England. Fox, Walker and Company The company began trading in 1864 at the Atlas Engine Works, St. George, ...

0-6-0ST (1896) * 1392 – 1400

Sharp Stewart and Company Sharp, Stewart and Company was a steam locomotive manufacturer, initially located in Manchester, England. The company was formed in 1843 upon the demise of Sharp, Roberts & Co.. It moved to Glasgow, Scotland, in 1888, eventually amalgamating wi ...

0-6-0T (1877)

Festiniog & Blaenau Railway

This railway was of 1' 11½" gauge and was taken over on 13 April 1883. It was later converted to standard gauge as the extension of the new Bala & Festiniog Railway after purchase by the

. Two locomotives were taken over, both being built by

Manning Wardle Manning Wardle was a steam locomotive manufacturer based in Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Precursor companies The city of Leeds was one of the earliest centres of locomotive building; Matthew Murray built the first commercially s ...

. * 1

Wks No 259, 0-4-2ST, built 1868 * 2

Wks No 260, 0-4-2ST, built 1868

Hook Norton Ironstone Partnership The Hook Norton Ironstone Partnership was the first company to quarry ironstone at Hook Norton on a large scale. Although only in operation for twelve years, its quarries subsequently became part of the Brymbo Steelworks quarries and relics of th ...

This concern was in liquidation when the

purchased an engine in July 1904. * Hook Norton,

, Wks No 1127, 0-6-0ST, built in November 1889. Eventually sold to the Fishguard & Rosslare Railways & Harbours Company in September 1907, it came back into GW Stock in October 1913 and lasted until January 1926. Given GW No 1337.

Liskeard and Caradon Railway The Liskeard and Caradon Railway was a mineral railway in Cornwall, in the United Kingdom, which opened in 1844. It was built to carry the ores of copper and tin, and also granite, from their sources on Caradon Hill down to Moorswater for onw ...

Three locomotives were acquired on 1 January 1909, they were used on both the Caradon and the

Liskeard and Looe Railway The Liskeard and Looe Railway was a railway originally built between Moorswater, in the valley west of Liskeard, and Looe, in Cornwall, England, UK, and later extended to Liskeard station on the Cornish Main Line railway. The first section was ...

s. 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. * 1308 ''Lady Margret'' – an Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. 2-4-0T * 1311 ''Cheesewring'' – a

Gilkes Wilson and Company Gilkes Wilson and Company was a British locomotive manufacturer at Teesside Engine Works in Middlesbrough which opened in 1843. Initially repairing locomotives, the company built its first engines in 1847. History Gilkes and Wilson was formed as ...

0-6-0ST * 1312 ''Kilmar'' – a

Hopkins Gilkes and Company Gilkes Wilson and Company was a British locomotive manufacturer at Teesside Engine Works in Middlesbrough which opened in 1843. Initially repairing locomotives, the company built its first engines in 1847. History Gilkes and Wilson was formed as ...

0-6-0ST

Llanelly Railway The Llanelly Railway and Dock Company was an early Welsh railway system. It opened its first short line and a wet dock at Llanelly in 1834, and soon went on to build a longer line from Llanelly to serve pits in the Amman Valley, and then on to Lla ...

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

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.

Manchester and Milford Railway The Manchester and Milford Railway was a Welsh railway company, intended to connect Manchester and the industrial areas of Northwest England with a deep-water port on Milford Haven, giving an alternative to the Port of Liverpool. Despite the ti ...

Seven locomotives were acquired by the

* 3 Lady Elizabeth,

Sharp Stewart Sharp, Stewart and Company was a steam locomotive manufacturer, initially located in Manchester, England. The company was formed in 1843 upon the demise of Sharp, Roberts & Co.. It moved to Glasgow, Scotland, in 1888, eventually amalgamatin ...

2-4-0 Wks No 1756, delivered in July 1866. Allocated GW No 1305, it was sold immediately. * 4 Aberystwyth,

0-6-0 Wks No 255, delivered in July 1868. Given GW No 1339, withdrawn December 1906. * 5,

0-6-0 Wks No 2036 in July 1870. Allocated 1340 but withdrawn in August 1906. * 2 Plynlimmon,

2-4-2T Wks No 3710. Given GW No 1304 and lasted until July 1916. * 6 Cader Idris,

2-4-2T Wks No 4128. Given GW No 1306 and lasted until April 1919. * 7,

London & North Western Railway The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom. In 1923, it became a constituent of the Lon ...

0-6-0 built at Crewe in November 1889 as L&NWR 1095. Given GW No 1341 and lasted until November 1906. * 1,

0-6-0 built at Crewe in August 1880 as L&NWR 2387. Given GW No 1338 and lasted until December 1915. * 8,

2301 Class (Dean Goods) 0-6-0 (ex GW 2301) on loan from summer 1905. * 9,

2301 Class (Dean Goods) 0-6-0 (ex GW 2351) on loan from summer 1905. * 10,

2301 Class (Dean Goods) 0-6-0 (ex GW 2532) on loan from summer 1905.

Monmouthshire Railway

53 (+1) locomotives were taken over in 1875. They were renumbered into the 1301 – 1352 series. Worked from 1 August 1875, amalgamated 1 August 1880. * 1 Grylls & Co built 1847 0-8-0 * 2, 3, 4, 5

Neath Abbey Ironworks Neath Abbey ( cy, Abaty Nedd) was a Cistercian monastery, located near the present-day town of Neath in South Wales, UK. It was once the largest abbey in Wales. Substantial ruins can still be seen, and are in the care of Cadw. Tudor historian ...

built 1848, 0-6-0 * 6, 7, 8 (GWR 1315-1317)

Stothert, Slaughter & Co The Avonside Engine Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Avon Street, St. Philip's, Bristol, England between 1864 and 1934. However the business originated with an earlier enterprise Henry Stothert and Company. Origins The firm was original ...

built 1847, delivered 1849, 0-6-0 * 9, 10 (GWR 1302 & 1301) Sharp Brothers built 1849, 2-4-0WT * 11 (purchased from the contractors Waring & Son 1849) possibly 0-4-0

North Pembrokeshire & Fishguard Railway

Taken over July 1898. 3 locomotives (all 0-6-0STs). * Precelly,

Hudswell Clarke Hudswell, Clarke and Company Limited was an engineering and locomotive building company in Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. History The company was founded as Hudswell and Clarke in 1860. In 1870 the name was changed to Hud ...

, Wks No 175, built January 1875, given GW No 1379 and sold in March 1907. * Ringing Rock,

, Wks No 630, built in 1876, given GW No 1380 and eventually ended up at the

Kent & East Sussex Railway The Kent and East Sussex Railway (K&ESR) refers to both a historical private railway company in Kent and East Sussex in England, as well as a heritage railway currently running on part of the route of the historical company. Historical com ...

as their No 8 Hesperus until 1941. * Margaret, Fox, Walker and Company, Wks No 410 was built in November 1878 and given GW No 1378. Sold in 1910 to the Gwendraeth Valleys Railway as their No 2 in July 1910. When the

took over that concern, they did not take it into stock but sold it to the

Kidwelly Timplate Co. Ltd. Kidwelly ( cy, Cydweli) is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, southwest Wales, approximately northwest of the most populous town in the county, Llanelli. In the 2001 census the community of Kidwelly returned a population of 3,289, in ...

in March 1923. It carried a GW Registration Plate No 73 of 1911 and ceased work in 1941. It has since been preserved in a non-operating condition and can be seen at Scolton Manor Museum near Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, not far from its original line.

Pembroke and Tenby Railway The Pembroke and Tenby Railway was a locally promoted railway in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It was built by local supporters and opened in 1863. The line, now known as the Pembroke Dock branch line, remains in use at the present day. In 1814 a Roya ...

8 locomotives acquired on 1 July 1896. * 1360 Tenby, 1361 Milford

2-2-2T * 1362 Pembroke

2-4-0 (NB ?? Re number 1361 – An extant photo exists in the SLS Stanford Jacobs Collection showing 1361 to be Pembroke.) * 1363 Owen, 1364 Davies, 1365 Cambria later Tenby

0-6-0 * 1813 Holmwood

1813 class 0-6-0T * 3201 Stella

Stella class 2-4-0 * Llandinam, a

0-6-0ST was owned by David Davies and used in the construction of the line. It was removed by him before the directors took over in 1870. * Further reading can be found at http://members.lycos.co.uk/Graham_Davies/Railways/PandTR.html

Severn & Wye and Severn Bridge Railway

The railway was vested jointly between the

and the

on 1 July 1894 . Seven locomotives were taken over on 1 October 1895. * Will Scarlet, Fletcher, Jennings & Co. Wks No 122, 0-6-0T was given GW No 1356. * Little John, Fletcher, Jennings & Co. Wks No 140, 0-6-0T went to the

as their 1123A * Alan-a-dale, Fletcher, Jennings & Co. Wks No 157, 0-6-0T was given GW No 1355 * Maid Marian,

Avonside Engine Co. The Avonside Engine Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Avon Street, St. Philip's, Bristol, England between 1864 and 1934. However the business originated with an earlier enterprise Henry Stothert and Company. Origins The firm was origina ...

Wks No 940, 0-6-0T was given GW No 1357 * Ranger, a 0-6-0 tender engine was altered to a ST by the

in January 1891 and given GW No 1358 * Wye, Fletcher, Jennings & Co. Wks No 153, 0-6-0ST became GW No 1359 * Severn Bridge,

Vulcan Foundry The Vulcan Foundry Limited was an English locomotive builder sited at Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire (now Merseyside). History The Vulcan Foundry opened in 1832, as Charles Tayleur and Company to produce girders for bridges, switches, crossin ...

Wks No 860, 0-6-0T, was given GW No 1354 * Gaveller,

Wks No 1309, 0-6-0T, was given GW No 1353 * Sharpness,

Wks No 850, 0-6-0T, went to the

as their 1124A * Sabrina,

Wks No 953, 0-6-0T, went to the

as their 1125A * Forester,

Wks No 1163, 0-6-0T, went to the

as their 1126A

South Devon Railway

The 85

locomotives added to the Great Western Railway fleet on 1 February 1876 included not just the

but also the 19 owned by the

Cornwall Railway The Cornwall Railway was a broad gauge railway from Plymouth in Devon to Falmouth in Cornwall, England, built in the second half of the nineteenth century. It was constantly beset with shortage of capital for the construction, and was eventu ...

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. * 1298 – 1300 Three 2-4-0Ts completed by the GWR as standard gauge * 2096 – 2105 4-4-0ST Comet class * 2106 – 2121 4-4-0ST Eagle class * 2122 – 2127 4-4-0ST Gorgon class * 2128 – 2131 4-4-0ST Leopard class * 2132 – 2135 ex-Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway 4-4-0ST * 2136 2-4-0ST * 2137 2-4-0ST Prince * 2138 ex-Great Western Railway Banking class 0-6-0ST * 2139 – 2142 0-6-0ST Tornado class * 2143 – 2144 0-6-0ST Dido class * 2145 – 2147 ex-Llynvi Valley Railway 0-6-0ST * 2148 – 2153 0-6-0ST Dido class * 2154 – 2155 0-6-0ST Remus class * 2156

0-6-0ST Steam tank locomotives of the 0-6-0 wheel arrangement in Whyte notation Whyte notation is a classification method for steam locomotives, and some internal combustion locomotives and electric locomotives, by wheel arrangement. It was devise ...

* 2157-2159 ex-Great Western Railway Sir Watkin class 0-6-0ST * 2160 – 2169 0-6-0ST Buffalo class (later rebuilt as standard gauge No.s 1317 – 1325) * 2170 0-6-0ST Taurus * 2171 2-4-0T King * 2172 – 2174 0-4-0WT Owl class (later standard gauge 1327 – 1328) * 2175 – 2179 0-4-0ST Raven class (later standard gauge 1329 – 1333) * 2180 0-4-0vb Tiny

Torbay and Brixham Railway The Torbay and Brixham Railway was a broad gauge railway in England which linked the Dartmouth and Torbay Railway at Churston railway station, Devon with the important fishing port of Brixham. It was a little over two miles long. Never more th ...

Vested with the

1 January 1883. Two broad gauge engines: ''

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

'' and ''

Raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between " crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigne ...

''. The former was withdrawn from stock on the same day, the latter was an ex-South Devon Railway locomotive and was taken back into GWR stock.

Vale of Neath Railway The Vale of Neath Railway (VoNR) was a broad gauge railway company, that built a line from Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare to Neath, in Wales, chiefly to transport the products of the Merthyr iron industries to ports on Swansea Bay. The railway focus ...

The 19

locomotives acquired in 1866 retained their original numbers; the six

locomotives were renumbered into the 413 – 418 series. * 1-6 Broad gauge 4-4-0STs * 7-19 Broad gauge 0-6-0STs * 413 – 418 standard gauge locomotives

Watlington & Princes Risborough Railway

Opened on 15 August 1872 and is believed to have been worked with a locomotive on hire from the

. The line was vested into the

on 1 July 1883. Two locomotives were taken over. * 1

, 2-2-2WT. It is believed that it may have been SS Wks No 1016 of 1857, ex

Furness Railway The Furness Railway (Furness) was a railway company operating in the Furness area of Lancashire in North West England. History Formation In the early 1840s, the owners of iron ore mines in the Furness district of Lancashire became interested i ...

No 11. * 2

. 2-4-0T, Wks No 2578 became GWR 1384.

Whitland & Cardigan Railway The Whitland & Cardigan Railway was a long branch line in West Wales. It was built in two stages, at first as the Whitland and Taf Vale Railway from the South Wales Main Line at Whitland to the quarries at Glogue. It opened in 1873, at first on ...

There were three locomotives all standard gauge and were numbered 1385-1387, being taken over 1 September 1886. * 1385 John Owen Fox, Walker and Company Wks No 170, 0-6-0ST built 1872 * 1386 Fox, Walker and Company Wks No 271, 0-6-0ST, built 1875 * 1387 Fox, Walker and Company Wks No 340, 0-6-0ST, built 1877

West Cornwall Railway

The eight West Cornwall Railway

locomotives were operated in a common pool with the

and are detailed in that section, above. At the same time, 1 February 1876, another eight

locomotives were also acquired. These were renumbered 1384 – 1391. * 1384

2-4-0 * 1385 Robert Stephenson and Company 0-6-0 * 1386

0-6-0ST * 1387 ex-

London North Western Railway The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom. In 1923, it became a constituent of the Lond ...

0-6-0 * 1388 ex-London North Western Railway 0-6-0 * 1389 ex-London North Western Railway 0-6-0 * 1390 ex-London North Western Railway 0-6-0 * 1391

Avonside Engine Company The Avonside Engine Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Avon Street, St. Philip's, Bristol, England between 1864 and 1934. However the business originated with an earlier enterprise Henry Stothert and Company. Origins The firm was original ...

0-4-0ST

Locomotives from the ROD (1919 - 1925)

In 1919, the GWR purchased 20

ROD 2-8-0 The Railway Operating Division (ROD) ROD 2-8-0 is a type of 2-8-0 steam locomotive which was the standard heavy freight locomotive operated in Europe by the ROD during the First World War. ROD need for a standard locomotive During the First Wor ...

locomotives from the

Railway Operating Division The Railway Operating Division (ROD) was a division of the Royal Engineers formed in 1915 to operate railways in the many theatres of the First World War. It was largely composed of railway employees and operated both standard gauge and narrow g ...

. These were based on Robinson's GCR Class 8K. Another 84 locomotives of the same class were hired in 1919–20 but were returned in 1921–22. In 1925, a further 80 locomotives of the same class were purchased, of which nineteen were among those previously hired. * 3000 Class (

): 3000–3099

Locomotives of amalgamated companies (1920 - 1924)

Eighteen companies were merged between 1 January 1922 and 1 January 1924 under the provisions of the

, bringing 925 locomotives.

Alexandra (Newport and South Wales) Docks and Railway The Alexandra (Newport and South Wales) Docks and Railway (ADR) was a company formed in 1882 from the former Newport Dock Company of 1865. There was considerable demand for dock accommodation in Newport, South Wales, chiefly for the export or co ...

39 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1922.

Barry Railway

148

Barry Railway The Barry Railway Company was a railway and docks company in South Wales, first incorporated as the ''Barry Dock and Railway Company'' in 1884. It arose out of frustration among Rhondda coal owners at congestion and high charges at Cardiff Dock ...

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

Brecon and Merthyr Railway The Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil Junction Railway (B&MR) was a railway company in Wales. It was originally intended to link the towns in its name. Finding its access to Merthyr difficult at first, it acquired the Rumney Railway, an old plateway, an ...

47 locomotives acquired on 1 July 1922.

Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway :''Note: During most of the period of operation of the BP&GVR the anglicised spellings of Welsh place names were in use, and for consistency are used in this article. The Company's registered name included the incorrect spelling ''Gwendreath'' due t ...

15 locomotives acquired on 1 July 1922.

Cambrian Railways The Cambrian Railways owned of track over a large area of mid Wales. The system was an amalgamation of a number of railways that were incorporated in 1864, 1865 and 1904. The Cambrian connected with two larger railways with connections to the ...

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

Vale of Rheidol Railway The Vale of Rheidol Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Cwm Rheidol) is a narrow gauge heritage railway in Ceredigion, Wales, between Aberystwyth and Devil's Bridge; a journey of . It opened in 1902, and from the withdrawal of main line steam on Briti ...

Three 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.

Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway The Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway (W&LLR) ( cy, Rheilffordd y Trallwng a Llanfair Caereinion) is a narrow gauge heritage railway in Powys, Wales. The line is around long and runs westwards from the town of Welshpool ( cy, Y Trallwng) ...

Two gauge 0-6-0T locomotives acquired with the Cambrian Railways on 1 January 1922.

Cardiff Railway From 1839 the Trustees of the Marquis of Bute, operated a large dock operation in Cardiff, the "Bute Docks". This was very successful, but was overwhelmed by the huge volume of coal exported through Cardiff. At the same time it was seen that ...

36 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1922.

Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway The Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway was a pre-Railways Act 1921, grouping railway company that served part of south Shropshire. Everard Calthrop was appointed Consulting Engineer in 1900, responsible for surveying the route and ...

Two locomotives were acquired on 1 January 1922

Gwendraeth Valleys Railway

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

Llanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway

8 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1923.

Midland and South Western Junction Railway The Midland and South Western Junction Railway (M&SWJR) was an independent railway built to form a north–south link between the Midland Railway and the London and South Western Railway in England, allowing the Midland and other companies' tr ...

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 British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British ...

ownership in 1948. At least one of them was used on the

Lambourn Valley Railway The Lambourn Valley Railway (LVR) was a branch railway line running from the town of Newbury, Berkshire north-west to the village of Lambourn. It was opened in 1898. Fulfilling a local need, it was in financial difficulties throughout its in ...

, probably because of its light axle load.

Neath and Brecon Railway The Dulas Valley Mineral Railway was incorporated in 1862 to bring coal from the Onllwyn area north-east of Neath to the quays there, and in the following year was reconstituted as the Neath and Brecon Railway. The line was opened as far as Onllw ...

15 locomotives acquired on 1 July 1922.

Port Talbot Railway and Docks Company

22 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1922.

Powlesland and Mason

Powlesland and Mason were contractors at Swansea Docks, and their 9 locomotives were acquired on 1 January 1924.

Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway The Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway was a Welsh railway company formed to connect the upper end of the Rhondda Fawr with Swansea, with the chief objective of transporting coal and other minerals to Swansea docks. It was incorporated in 1882, but ...

37 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1922.

Rhymney Railway

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

South Wales Mineral Railway The South Wales Mineral Railway was a railway built to serve collieries in the upper Afan Valley, and bring their output to a dock at Briton Ferry, in South Wales. It opened in stages, in 1861 and 1863. It was built on the broad gauge and had ste ...

5 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1923.

Swansea Harbour Trust

14 locomotives acquired on 1 July 1923.

Taff Vale Railway

The

Taff Vale Railway The Taff Vale Railway (TVR) was a standard gauge railway in South Wales, built by the Taff Vale Railway Company to serve the iron and coal industries around Merthyr Tydfil and to connect them with docks in Cardiff. It was opened in stag ...

and its 275 locomotives were acquired on 1 January 1922.

Locomotives of amalgamated companies (1925 - 1947)

Corris Railway The Corris Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Corris) is a narrow gauge preserved railway based in Corris on the border between Merionethshire (now Gwynedd) and Montgomeryshire (now Powys) in Mid-Wales. The line opened in 1859 as a horse tramway, runni ...

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

locomotives: *

No. 3 ''No. 3'' () is a 1997 South Korean gangster comedy film starring Han Suk-kyu as the titular no. 3 man of a gang who's aspiring to rise up the ranks and become the leader of his own gang. It was writer-director Song Nung-han's feature direct ...

ST * No. 4

Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway

Two locomotives were transferred to the Great Western Railway when

Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway The Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Light Railway (WC&PR) was a standard gauge light railway in Somerset, England. It was conceived as a tramway in the 1880s, opening between the coastal towns of Weston-super-Mare and Clevedon in 1897 and comp ...

closed in 1940: * GWR No.5 ex-

LB&SCR A1 Class The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) A1 class is a class of British steam locomotive. Designed by William Stroudley, 50 members of the class were built in 1872 and between 1874 and 1880, all at Brighton Works. The class has re ...

0-6-0T "Portishead" * GWR No.6 ex-

0-6-0T

Ystalyfera Tin Works

* GWR No.1

0-4-0ST "Hercules"

1948 and after

On 1 January 1948 all existing GWR locomotives became the property of the new

(BR); unlike other companies stock, all the steam locomotives continued to carry their GWR numbers. BR continued to build GWR designs (the 1000, 1500, 1600, 4073 and 6959 classes in particular) for a while. 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. 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 Woodham Brothers Ltd is a trading business, based mainly around activities and premises located within Barry Docks, in Barry, South Wales. It is noted globally for its 1960s activity as a scrapyard (hence its colloquial name of Barry Scrapyard), ...

received large numbers of ex-GWR locomotives, proportionately more survive today in preservation than the locomotives of the other companies.

Named locomotives

Most express passenger locomotives carried distinctive names, generally following themes such as kings (the 6000 class), cities ( 3700 class), counties ( 3800 class, later the 1000 class), castles ( 4073 class), and halls ( 4900 class). This tradition dated back to the first locomotives delivered to the railway, for all broad gauge locomotives initially were identified only by names, numbers first appearing on the standard gauge locomotives acquired with the northern companies that became part of the GWR in 1862. Several locomotives were honoured with the name ''Great Western''. The first was an Iron Duke class broad gauge locomotive built in 1846, the first locomotive entirely constructed at the company's Swindon locomotive works. This was withdrawn in 1870, but in 1888 a modernised version of the same class was built and given the same name; this was withdrawn just four years later when the broad gauge was taken out of use. A standard gauge 3031 class locomotive, number 3012, was then given the ''Great Western'' name. The final GWR locomotive to carry the name was Castle class number 7007, which continued to carry while working for

. The tradition of using this name has continued with British Rail and modern companies up to the present day.

Preservation

More than 140 Great Western locomotives (including some designed by the GWR but built by British Railways) have been preserved. They are mostly in museums or on heritage railways in the United Kingdom, predominantly in the area formerly served by the GWR. Some locomotives that were absorbed in the 1923 grouping also survive today.

Dean designed locomotives

Churchward designed locomotives

* Named in preservation

Collett designed locomotives

Collet also built or rebuilt the Vale Of Rheidol locomotives listed under § Narrow gauge locomotives.

Hawksworth designed locomotives

Amalgamated/pre-grouping locomotives

Nine pre-grouping locomotives that were absorbed into the GWR in 1923 are known to survive: *

Narberth Road and Maenclochog Railway The Narberth Road and Maenclochog Railway was a Welsh light railway company in Pembrokeshire. Services started in January 1876. Route The line ran from Clynderwen (formerly Narberth Road) on the Great Western Railway via Maenclochog to Rosebu ...

built by Fox, Walker & Company in 1878, NP&FR in 1894, GVR in 1911, GWR No. 1378. * Alexandra Docks

0-4-0ST Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven. The wheels on the earliest four-coupled locomotives were ...

''Trojan'' built by

Avonside Avonside is an eastern suburb in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is one of the oldest suburbs of the city, with only Heathcote being older. History The suburb was named after Holy Trinity Avonside, which was built beside the Avon River in 18 ...

in 1897, GWR No. 1340. * Taff Vale Railway O1 class

0-6-2T T, or t, is the twentieth letter in the modern English alphabet and the ISO basic Latin alphabet. Its name in English is ''tee'' (pronounced ), plural ''tees''. It is derived from the Semitic letters taw (ת, ܬ, ت) via the Greek letter ...

No. 28 built by TVR Cardiff West in 1897, GWR No. 450. *

Cardiff Railway From 1839 the Trustees of the Marquis of Bute, operated a large dock operation in Cardiff, the "Bute Docks". This was very successful, but was overwhelmed by the huge volume of coal exported through Cardiff. At the same time it was seen that ...

No. 5 built by

Kitson & Co Kitson and Company was a locomotive manufacturer based in Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Early history The company was started in 1835 by James Kitson at the Airedale Foundry, off Pearson Street, Hunslet, with Charles Todd as a part ...

in 1898, GWR No. 1338. *

Taff Vale Railway O2 class The Taff Vale Railway O2 class was a class of 0-6-2T steam tank locomotives designed by Tom Hurry Riches and introduced to the Taff Vale Railway in 1899. Numbering Withdrawal and disposal All were withdrawn from traffic between 1926 and 1928. ...

No. 85 built by Neilson, Reid & Co. in 1899, GWR No. 426. *

Port Talbot Railway The Port Talbot Railway and Docks Company (PTR&D) was formed in 1894 to secure the means of bringing minerals, chiefly coal, to the harbour in South Wales. It took over the docks at Port Talbot that had been operated by the Port Talbot Company. I ...

No. 26 built by

in 1900, GWR No. 813 * Powlesland and Mason

No. 6 built by Brush Electrical in 1906, GWR No. 921. * Swansea Harbour Trust

No. 13 built by

Hawthorn Leslie R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Limited, usually referred to as Hawthorn Leslie, was a shipbuilder and locomotive manufacturer. The company was founded on Tyneside in 1886 and ceased building ships in 1982. History The company was form ...

in 1909, GWR No. 974. * BP&GVR No.2 Pontyberem was sold in 1914 by the company and into industrial use and therefore didn't pass into GWR ownership but was based at

DRC The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

for a while.

Narrow gauge locomotives

Three locomotives of gauge were acquired from the

Vale of Rheidol Railway The Vale of Rheidol Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Cwm Rheidol) is a narrow gauge heritage railway in Ceredigion, Wales, between Aberystwyth and Devil's Bridge; a journey of . It opened in 1902, and from the withdrawal of main line steam on Briti ...

as part of the Cambrian Railways at the grouping, but only one survived to be privatised from British Rail in 1989: *

2-6-2T T, or t, is the twentieth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''tee'' (pronounced ), plural ''tees''. It is deri ...

VoR no. 2 (originally named ''Prince of Wales'') built by

Davies and Metcalfe Davies and Metcalfe Ltd is a railway equipment and locomotive manufacturer from Romiley, Manchester, England. It was founded in Aberystwyth in 1878. The company is now part of Sabwabco Davies & Metcalfe Ltd of Leek, Staffordshire. History Rhei ...

in 1902, to GWR no. 1213 in 1922, rebuilt 1924, renumbered 9 by British Railways in 1949 and named ''Prince of Wales'' in 1956. Still in service. Two more, similar to no. 1213 as rebuilt, were built by the GWR at Swindon in 1923: *

No. 7 built by GWR in 1923, named ''Owain Glyndŵr'' in 1956 by British Railways *

No. 8 built by GWR in 1923, named ''Llywelyn'' in 1956 by British Railways These two, together with no. 9, are still running on their original line. From the gauge

Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway The Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway (W&LLR) ( cy, Rheilffordd y Trallwng a Llanfair Caereinion) is a narrow gauge heritage railway in Powys, Wales. The line is around long and runs westwards from the town of Welshpool ( cy, Y Trallwng) ...

, absorbed into the GWR as part of the Cambrian Railways at the grouping: * 0-6-0T No 822 ''The Earl'' built by Beyer, Peacock & Co. in 1902, preserved as No 822 ''The Earl'' on the WLLR * 0-6-0T No 823 ''The Countess'' (renamed ''Countess'' by GWR) built by Beyer, Peacock & Co. in 1902, preserved as No 823 ''Countess'' on the WLLR From the gauge

Corris Railway The Corris Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Corris) is a narrow gauge preserved railway based in Corris on the border between Merionethshire (now Gwynedd) and Montgomeryshire (now Powys) in Mid-Wales. The line opened in 1859 as a horse tramway, runni ...

, which was purchased by the GWR in 1930: *

0-4-2ST Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement with no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles and two trailing wheels on one axle. While the first locomotive ...

No. 3 built by

Hughes Falcon The Hughes AIM-4 Falcon was the first operational guided air-to-air missile of the United States Air Force. Development began in 1946; the weapon was first tested in 1949. The missile entered service with the USAF in 1956. Produced in both hea ...

in 1878, preserved as ''Sir Haydn'' on the

Talyllyn Railway The Talyllyn Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Talyllyn) is a narrow gauge preserved railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1865Drummond 2015, page 17 ...

. *

No. 4 built by

Kerr, Stuart and Company Kerr, Stuart and Company Ltd was a locomotive manufacturer in Stoke-on-Trent, England. History It was founded in 1881 by James Kerr as "James Kerr & Company", and became "Kerr, Stuart & Company" from 1883 when John Stuart was taken on as a p ...

in 1921, preserved as ''Edward Thomas'' on the Talyllyn Railway.

References

Sources

* ''The ABC of Great Western Locomotives'' (Ian Allan Ltd 7th Edition) (?)1945 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{GWR absorbed locos 1922 on Great Western Great Western

Livery

Great Western Railway locomotives

Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1835 - 1837)

Daniel Gooch (1837 - 1864)

Joseph Armstrong (Wolverhampton 1854 - 1864, Swindon 1864 - 1877)

George Armstrong (Wolverhampton 1864 - 1897)

William Dean (1877 - 1902)

George Jackson Churchward (1902-1922)

Charles Collett (1922-1941)

Frederick Hawksworth (1941-1949)

Locomotives of amalgamated companies (1854 - 1920)

Bristol and Exeter Railway The Bristol & Exeter Railway (B&ER) was an English railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter. It was built on the broad gauge and its engineer was Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It opened in stages between 1841 and 1844. It was allied with t ...

Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway The Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway was a broad gauge railway line in Wales that was intended to connect Carmarthen on the South Wales Railway with Cardigan. In fact, it was unable to raise the necessary capital and was loss-making from the tim ...

Cornwall Minerals Railway The Cornwall Minerals Railway owned and operated a network of of standard gauge railway lines in central Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It started by taking over an obsolescent horse-operated tramway in 1862, and it improved and extended i ...

Hook Norton Ironstone Partnership The Hook Norton Ironstone Partnership was the first company to quarry ironstone at Hook Norton on a large scale. Although only in operation for twelve years, its quarries subsequently became part of the Brymbo Steelworks quarries and relics of th ...

Liskeard and Caradon Railway The Liskeard and Caradon Railway was a mineral railway in Cornwall, in the United Kingdom, which opened in 1844. It was built to carry the ores of copper and tin, and also granite, from their sources on Caradon Hill down to Moorswater for onw ...

Llanelly Railway The Llanelly Railway and Dock Company was an early Welsh railway system. It opened its first short line and a wet dock at Llanelly in 1834, and soon went on to build a longer line from Llanelly to serve pits in the Amman Valley, and then on to Lla ...

Manchester and Milford Railway The Manchester and Milford Railway was a Welsh railway company, intended to connect Manchester and the industrial areas of Northwest England with a deep-water port on Milford Haven, giving an alternative to the Port of Liverpool. Despite the ti ...

Pembroke and Tenby Railway The Pembroke and Tenby Railway was a locally promoted railway in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It was built by local supporters and opened in 1863. The line, now known as the Pembroke Dock branch line, remains in use at the present day. In 1814 a Roya ...

Torbay and Brixham Railway The Torbay and Brixham Railway was a broad gauge railway in England which linked the Dartmouth and Torbay Railway at Churston railway station, Devon with the important fishing port of Brixham. It was a little over two miles long. Never more th ...

Vale of Neath Railway The Vale of Neath Railway (VoNR) was a broad gauge railway company, that built a line from Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare to Neath, in Wales, chiefly to transport the products of the Merthyr iron industries to ports on Swansea Bay. The railway focus ...

Whitland & Cardigan Railway The Whitland & Cardigan Railway was a long branch line in West Wales. It was built in two stages, at first as the Whitland and Taf Vale Railway from the South Wales Main Line at Whitland to the quarries at Glogue. It opened in 1873, at first on ...

Locomotives from the ROD (1919 - 1925)

Locomotives of amalgamated companies (1920 - 1924)

Barry Railway

Brecon and Merthyr Railway The Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil Junction Railway (B&MR) was a railway company in Wales. It was originally intended to link the towns in its name. Finding its access to Merthyr difficult at first, it acquired the Rumney Railway, an old plateway, an ...

Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway :''Note: During most of the period of operation of the BP&GVR the anglicised spellings of Welsh place names were in use, and for consistency are used in this article. The Company's registered name included the incorrect spelling ''Gwendreath'' due t ...

Cambrian Railways The Cambrian Railways owned of track over a large area of mid Wales. The system was an amalgamation of a number of railways that were incorporated in 1864, 1865 and 1904. The Cambrian connected with two larger railways with connections to the ...

Vale of Rheidol Railway The Vale of Rheidol Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Cwm Rheidol) is a narrow gauge heritage railway in Ceredigion, Wales, between Aberystwyth and Devil's Bridge; a journey of . It opened in 1902, and from the withdrawal of main line steam on Briti ...

Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway The Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway (W&LLR) ( cy, Rheilffordd y Trallwng a Llanfair Caereinion) is a narrow gauge heritage railway in Powys, Wales. The line is around long and runs westwards from the town of Welshpool ( cy, Y Trallwng) ...

Cardiff Railway From 1839 the Trustees of the Marquis of Bute, operated a large dock operation in Cardiff, the "Bute Docks". This was very successful, but was overwhelmed by the huge volume of coal exported through Cardiff. At the same time it was seen that ...

Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway The Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway was a pre-Railways Act 1921, grouping railway company that served part of south Shropshire. Everard Calthrop was appointed Consulting Engineer in 1900, responsible for surveying the route and ...

Midland and South Western Junction Railway The Midland and South Western Junction Railway (M&SWJR) was an independent railway built to form a north–south link between the Midland Railway and the London and South Western Railway in England, allowing the Midland and other companies' tr ...

Neath and Brecon Railway The Dulas Valley Mineral Railway was incorporated in 1862 to bring coal from the Onllwyn area north-east of Neath to the quays there, and in the following year was reconstituted as the Neath and Brecon Railway. The line was opened as far as Onllw ...

Powlesland and Mason

Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway The Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway was a Welsh railway company formed to connect the upper end of the Rhondda Fawr with Swansea, with the chief objective of transporting coal and other minerals to Swansea docks. It was incorporated in 1882, but ...

South Wales Mineral Railway The South Wales Mineral Railway was a railway built to serve collieries in the upper Afan Valley, and bring their output to a dock at Briton Ferry, in South Wales. It opened in stages, in 1861 and 1863. It was built on the broad gauge and had ste ...

Taff Vale Railway

Locomotives of amalgamated companies (1925 - 1947)

Corris Railway The Corris Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Corris) is a narrow gauge preserved railway based in Corris on the border between Merionethshire (now Gwynedd) and Montgomeryshire (now Powys) in Mid-Wales. The line opened in 1859 as a horse tramway, runni ...

Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway

Ystalyfera Tin Works

1948 and after

Named locomotives

Preservation

Dean designed locomotives

Churchward designed locomotives

Collett designed locomotives

Hawksworth designed locomotives

Amalgamated/pre-grouping locomotives

Narrow gauge locomotives

See also

References

Sources