Barry Railway Class A were the first steam tank engines to be built for the

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 ...

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

and had an wheel arrangement. They were designed by

John Wolfe Barry Sir John Wolfe Barry (7 December 1836 – 22 January 1918), the youngest son of famous architect Sir Charles Barry, was an English civil engineer of the late 19th and early 20th century. His most famous project is Tower Bridge over the River ...

and built by

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 amalgamating wit ...

Traffic duties

The locomotive was primarily intended for heavy shunting duties at Barry Docks and Nos. 1-4 were delivered to Barry for that purpose. One locomotive, No. 5 was the first to be delivered to Treforest Junction where it hauled the Engineer's Saloon at the northern end of the line; the through line to the docks not yet being completed. To perform this duty, No. 5 was fitted with a vacuum injector and train pipes. Because of this, No.5 had the honour of hauling the first passenger train between Barry Docks and Cogan when the line opened on 20 December 1888. The following year, the Class C locomotives arrived and were specifically designed for passenger traffic. At which point, the vacuum brake fittings were removed and No. 5 was sent to work with the other 4 locomotives of the class in the docks.

Withdrawal

All five locomotives passed to 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 ...

in 1922. No. 1 (GWR 699) was withdrawn in April 1931 and sold to Coltness Iron Co Ltd in June 1932; it was cut up on site in March 1962. No. 2 (GWR 700) was withdrawn in October 1926 and sold to Guest, Keen Nettlefolds at Dowlais Steelworks in October 1927; it was scrapped in August 1950. No. 4 (GWR 703) was withdrawn in May 1932 and sold to Ocean Coal Co Ltd at Lady Windsor Colliery in Ynysybwl; it was scrapped in 1956. No. 3 (GWR 702) was withdrawn in April 1931 and placed on the sales list though never sold. No. 5 (GWR 706) was withdrawn in November 1930 but not offered for sale. None has been preserved.

Numbering

References

* * * * * * {{GWR absorbed locos 1922 on A 0-6-0T locomotives Sharp Stewart locomotives Standard gauge steam locomotives of Great Britain Railway locomotives introduced in 1888 Scrapped locomotives Shunting locomotives