The Hercules Class were four broad gauge

steam locomotives A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

for the Great Western Railway. They were the first 0-6-0 locomotives, being built in 1842 by

Nasmyth, Gaskell and Company Nasmyth, Gaskell and Company, originally called The Bridgewater Foundry, specialised in the production of heavy machine tools and locomotives. It was located in Patricroft, in Salford England, close to the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, th ...

. They were all withdrawn in 1870 and 1871. From about 1865, the Hercules Class locomotives became part of the Fury Class, along with the Premier Class locomotives.

Locomotives

* ''Goliah'' (1842 - 1871) :This locomotives was named after the Biblical giant, Goliah. * ''Hercules'' (1842 - 1870) :This locomotive was named after the Greek mythological strongman,

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 ...

. * ''Sampson'' (1842 - 1870) :This locomotive was named after the Biblical strongman,

Sampson Sampson may refer to: Military * , several Royal Navy ships * , several US Navy ships * Sampson-class destroyer, a World War I US Navy class * Sampson Air Force Base, near Seneca Lake, New York, closed in 1956 * SAMPSON, a multi-function radar ...

. * ''Tityos'' (1842 - 1870) :This locomotive was named after

Tityos Tityos or Tityus (Ancient Greek: Τιτυός) was a giant from Greek mythology. Family Tityos was the son of Elara; his father was Zeus. He had a daughter named Europa who coupled with Poseidon and gave birth to Euphemus, one of the Argona ...

, a giant in Greek mythology.

Accidents and incidents

*On 27 June 1849, the boiler of ''Goliah'' exploded whilst it was hauling a freight train on the South Devon Railway at . One person was killed.

References

;Sources * * * {{GWR Locomotives

Broad gauge (7 feet) railway locomotives 0-6-0 locomotives Nasmyth, Wilson and Company locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1842