Taff Vale Railway A class
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (December 2014) |
| Taff Vale Railway A class | |
|---|---|
standard gauge | |
| Driver dia. | 5 ft 3 in (1.600 m) |
| Loco weight | 65.70 long tons (66.75 t; 73.58 short tons) |
| Fuel type | Coal |
| Boiler pressure | As built: 175 psi (1.21 MPa) Rebuilt: 200 psi (1.38 MPa) |
| Cylinders | Two, inside |
| Cylinder size | As built: 18 in × 26 in (457 mm × 660 mm) Rebuilt: 17.5 in × 26 in (444 mm × 660 mm) |
| Performance figures | |
|---|---|
| Tractive effort | As built: 21,000 lbf (93.4 kN) Rebuilt: 21,480 lbf (95.5 kN) |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Power class | BR: 4P |
| Retired | 1952–1957 |
| Disposition | All scrapped |
The Taff Vale Railway A class was a class of
0-6-2T steam tank locomotives designed by J. Cameron for mixed traffic work and introduced to the Taff Vale Railway (TVR) in 1914. The A class was an enlarged version of the TVR O4 class designed by Tom Hurry Riches in 1907. The A class was the last new class of locomotive to be introduced on the TVR, which had introduced its first 0-6-2Ts in 1885 (the M class); and, with a total of 58 built, was numerically the largest class of tank locomotive on the TVR.[1]
Previous classes of mixed-traffic 0-6-2T on the TVR (the M,
The first 51 locomotives initially had boilers working at a pressure of 160 pounds per square inch (1,100 kPa), which (except for no. 120) was later altered to 175 psi (1,210 kPa); the last seven worked at the higher pressure from new. By the time that the TVR amalgamated with the
British Railways (BR) in 1948, until the introduction of the BR 82xxx 2-6-2Ts
in the mid-1950s, these engines were widely used on passenger workings in the South Wales Valleys.
After withdrawal, several were employed as Works Pilots in Swindon before being broken up.[4][5] The first loco withdrawn was 344 in November 1952 from Cardiff Cathays shed. The last seven locos 370, 373, 381, 383, 390, 398 and 402 were withdrawn together in August 1957 from Abercynon shed. None are preserved.
Builders and numbering
The locomotives were built in several batches by
Nasmyth, Wilson and Company, Vulcan Foundry and North British Locomotive Company. Their initial GWR numbers were in the ranges 335–408 (for locos working at a boiler pressure of 175 psi (1,210 kPa)) and 438–441 (pressure 160 psi (1,100 kPa)), but they were not consecutive and were intermingled with other classes. Those with numbers above 399 were renumbered between 303 and 322 during 1947–50.[6]
| Year | Quantity | Manufacturer | Serial Numbers | TVR Numbers | GWR Numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 | 6 | Hawthorn Leslie |
3057–3062 | 3, 7, 10, 11, 12, 120 | 438, 335, 337, 343, 344, 441 | 441 renumbered 322 in 1947, 438 renumbered 309 in 1949[5] |
| 1915 | 6 | North British Locomotive Co. |
21156–21161 | 42, 45, 52, 122, 123, 124 | 439, 346, 440, 352, 356, 357 | 439 and 440 renumbered 312 and 316 in 1949 and 1950 respectively[5] |
| 1916 | 6 | Vulcan Foundry | 3178–3183 | 125, 127, 128, 129, 130, 132 | 360, 361, 362, 364, 365, 366 | |
| 1919 | 12 | Nasmyth, Wilson & Co. |
1269–1280 | 133, 135, 136, 138, 139, 140, 154, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160 | 367, 370, 371, 372, 373, 374, 377, 378, 379, 380, 381, 382 | |
| 1920 | 16 | Hawthorn Leslie |
3394–3409 | 20, 134, 144, 149, 162, 164, 165, 400 to 408 | 345, 368, 375, 376, 383 to 391, 393, 394, 397 | |
| 1921 | 5 | Hawthorn Leslie |
3410–3414 | 409 to 413 | 398, 399, 401 to 403 | 401 and 403 renumbered 303 and 305 in 1947, 402 renumbered 304 in 1948[5] |
| 1914 | 7 | Vulcan Foundry | 3492–3498 | 75, 80, 90, 91, 414 to 416 | 347 to 349, 351, 404, 406, 408 | 404, 406, and 408 renumbered 306 to 308 in 1949, 1949 and 1948 respectively[5] |
Originally, the Taff Vale Railway commissioned the German locomotive factory
First World War, the deal did not come into being.[8] The order for these six locomotives was transferred to North British and they were delivered as nos. 42 etc. during 1915.[9]
See also
References
- ISBN 0-901115-20-7.
- ^ Davies et al. 1966, pp. K172, K177, K179, K181, K183, K185, K187, K189.
- ^ Davies et al. 1966, pp. K188, K189, K190–1.
- ^ "Taff Vale | TVR 28 1964-09-27 Swindon".
- ^ a b c d e Davies et al. 1966, p. K189.
- ^ Davies et al. 1966, pp. K188, K189.
- ^ "Taff Vale Ry". Locomotive Magazine and Railway Carriage and Wagon Review. Locomotive Publishing Company. 1914. p. 186.
- ^ Tradition, Zeitschrift für Firmengeschichte und Unternehmerbiographie, 2. Jahrg., Erinnerungen aus der Geschichte der Hanomag von Erich Metzeltin, Verlag C.H.Beck, August 1957, p. 280.
- ^ Davies et al. 1966, p. K188.
Sources
- ABC of British Railways Locomotives; part 1. Ian Allan. Winter 1957–1958. p. 22.