The ''Eagle'' class were sixteen broad gauge locomotives operated on the South Devon Railway (SDR),

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 ...

(CR) and associated adjacent railways. They were designed for passenger trains on this steep and sharply curved line but were also used on goods trains when required. They were ordered by Evans, Walker and Gooch who were contracted to operate the locomotives for both the railways.

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 ...

designed them as a development of his earlier Comet class. They had slightly smaller wheels but larger tanks containing 1,100 gallons, a 37.5% increase. They were built by

Slaughter, Grüning and 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 ...

. The locomotives were bought by the SDR on 1 July 1866 after which they were operated as a combined fleet over both the SDR and CR, but they continued to be accounted to their original owner. On 1 February 1876 the South Devon Railway was amalgamated with the Great Western Railway, the locomotives were given numbers by their new owners but continued to carry their names too.

Locomotives

South Devon Railway

* ''Hawk'' (Slaughter, Grüning & Co. 591? of 1859); GWR no. 2108; withdrawn 1885 :Named after the bird of prey, hawk. * ''Giraffe'' (SG 365 of 1859); – 1877) GWR no. 2112; withdrawn 18 :''Giraffe'' hauled the first train on the

Launceston and South Devon Railway Launceston may refer to: Places * Launceston, Cornwall, a town, ancient borough, and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom ** Launceston (UK Parliament constituency), a former parliamentary constituency in Cornwall * Launceston, Tasmani ...

on 1 June 1865 with ''Dart''. :The locomotive was named after the animal, giraffe. * ''Lion'' (SG 366 of 1859); GWR no. 2113; withdrawn 1883 :Named after the powerful animal, lion. * ''Antelope'' (SG 367 of 1859); GWR no. 2114; withdrawn 1884 :Named after the swift animal, antelope. * ''Tiger'' (SG 411 of 1860); GWR no. 2116; withdrawn 1884 :Named after the powerful animal,

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on ...

. * ''Hector'' (SG 412 of 1860); GWR no. 2117; withdrawn 1892 :Named after the Greek mythological character,

Hector In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

. * ''Dart'' (SG 559 of 1863); GWR no. 2119; withdrawn 1885 :''Dart'' hauled the first train on the

on 1 June 1865 with ''Giraffe''. :The locomotive was named after the

dart Dart or DART may refer to: * Dart, the equipment in the game of darts Arts, entertainment and media * Dart (comics), an Image Comics superhero * Dart, a character from ''G.I. Joe'' * Dart, a ''Thomas & Friends'' railway engine character * Dar ...

missile.

Cornwall Railway

* ''Eagle'' (SG 360 of 1859); GWR no. 2106; withdrawn 1876 :Named after the bird of prey,

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

. * ''Elk'' (SG 361 of 1859); GWR no. 2107; withdrawn 1877 :Just two days after the opening of the railway ''Elk'' was derailed near St Germans and fell off Grove viaduct with fatal consequences. :The locomotive was named after the animal,

elk The elk (''Cervus canadensis''), also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The common ...

. * ''Lynx'' (SG 363 of 1859); GWR no. 2109; withdrawn 1876 :Named after the strong animal, lynx. * ''Gazelle'' (SG 364 of 1859); GWR no. 2110; withdrawn 1865 :Named after the swift animal,

gazelle A gazelle is one of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' . This article also deals with the seven species included in two further genera, '' Eudorcas'' and '' Nanger'', which were formerly considered subgenera of ''Gazella''. A third ...

. * ''Mazeppa'' (SG 362 of 1859); GWR no. 2111; withdrawn 1885 :Named after an epic poem, '' Mazeppa'' by

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the ...

. * ''Wolf'' (SG 368 of 1859); GWR no. 2115; withdrawn 1878 :Named after the strong animal,

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

. * ''Cato'' (SG 522 of 1863); GWR no. 2118; withdrawn 1877 : Cato was a name shared by many famous Romans. * ''Pollux'' (SG 592 of 1865); GWR no. 2120; withdrawn 1892 :Named after the Greek mythological character, Pollux, it had originally been intended to be named ''Tamar'' after the

River Tamar The Tamar (; kw, Dowr Tamar) is a river in south west England, that forms most of the border between Devon (to the east) and Cornwall (to the west). A part of the Tamar Valley is a World Heritage Site due to its historic mining activities. T ...

. * ''Castor'' (SG 593 of 1865) GWR no. 2121; withdrawn 1882 :Named after the Greek mythological character' Castor, it had originally intended to be named ''Fal'' after the

River Fal The River Fal ( kw, Dowr Fala) flows through Cornwall, England, rising at Pentevale on Goss Moor (between St. Columb and Roche) and reaching the English Channel at Falmouth. On or near the banks of the Fal are the castles of Pendennis and ...

References

* * * * * Railway company records at

The National Archives National archives are central archives maintained by countries. This article contains a list of national archives. Among its more important tasks are to ensure the accessibility and preservation of the information produced by governments, both ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:South Devon Railway Eagle Class Broad gauge (7 feet) railway locomotives 4-4-0ST locomotives Avonside locomotives

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

Railway locomotives introduced in 1859