Locomotives of the Great Western Railway

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The Great Western Railway had an uninterrupted life of over a century to develop its locomotive designs as it was barely affected by the Grouping of 1923. As a result its locomotive history is a long and interesting one.

Contents

Background

Numbering and Classification

For an explanation of GWR locomotive classification and numbering, including details of the major renumbering schemes, see: GWR locomotive numbering and classification

Post-Nationalisation

British Rail continued to build GWR designs (the 1000, 1500, 1600, 4073 and 6959 classes in particular) immediately after Nationalisation. 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

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

Great Western Railway Broad Gauge Locomotives

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Isambard Kingdom Brunel

Daniel Gooch locomotives (1837 - 1864)

Joseph Armstrong locomotives (1864 - 1877)

William Dean locomotives (1877 - 1892)

Great Western Railway Standard Gauge Locomotives

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Daniel Gooch locomotives (1855 - 1864)

Locomotives were not numbered in continuous blocks

Joseph Armstrong locomotives (1864 - 1877)

Locomotives were not numbered in continuous blocks

William Dean locomotives (1877-1902)

Locomotives were not numbered in continuous blocks

George Jackson Churchward locomotives (1902-1922)

Charles Collett locomotives (1922-1941)

Frederick Hawksworth locomotives (1941-1949)

Locomotives of Constituent Companies

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Alexandra (Newport and South Wales) Docks and Railway

39 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1922.

Barry Railway

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

Brecon and Merthyr Railway

47 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1922.

Bristol and Exeter Railway

Bristol and Exeter Railway locomotives were absorbed on 1 January 1876. The broad gauge locomotives were numbered in the series 2001 to 20; the standard gauge locomotives were numbered in the series 1353 - 1382.

Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway

15 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1922.

Cambrian Railways

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

Vale of Rheidol Railway

Three 1 ft 111⁄2 in (597 mm) 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.

  • 7 new 2-6-2T, built 1923
  • 8 new 2-6-2T, built 1923
  • 1198 ex-VoR 2-4-0T, withdrawn 1924
  • 1212 ex-VoR 2-6-2T, withdrawn 1932
  • 1213 ex-VoR 2-6-2T, renumbered 9 in 1949

Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway

Two 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge 0-6-0T locomotives acquired with the Cambrian Railways on 1 January 1922.

  • 822 The Earl
  • 823 The Countess

Cardiff Railway

36 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1922.

Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway

Two locomotives were acquired on 1 January 1922

Cornwall Minerals Railway

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

Corris Railway

2 ft 3 in (686 mm) narrow gauge locomotives:

Gwendraeth Valley Railway

2 0-6-0ST locomotives were acquired on 1 January 1923. One was given the GWR number 26, but the second (Margret) was sold in 1923 without being allocated a GWR number.

Liskeard and Caradon Railway

Three locomotives were acquired on 1 January 1909, they were used on both the Caradon and the Liskeard and Looe Railways. GWR experimental 4-4-0ST number 13 was also regulalry 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.

Llanelly Railway

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

Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway

8 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1923.

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.

Midland and South Western Junction Railway

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 ownership in 1948. At least one of them was used on the Lambourn Valley Railway, probably because of its light axle load.

Monmouthshire Railway

52 locomotives were taken over in 1875. They were renumbered into the 1301 - 1352 series.

Neath and Brecon Railway

15 locomotives acquired on 1 July 1922.

Port Talbot Railway

22 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1922.

Powesland and Mason

9 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1924.

Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway

37 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1922.

Rhymney Railway

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

South Devon Railway

The 85 broad gauge locomotives added to the Great Western Railway fleet on 1 February 1876 included not just the South Devon Railway locomotives but also the 19 owned by the Cornwall Railway 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.

South Wales Mineral Railway

5 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1923.

Swansea Harbour Trust

14 locomotives acquired on 1 January 1923.

Taff Vale Railway

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

Vale of Neath Railway

The 19 broad gauge locomotives acquired in 1866 retained their original numbers; the six standard gauge locomotives were renumbered into the 413 - 418 series.

West Cornwall Railway

The eight West Cornwall Railway broad gauge locomotives were operated in a common pool with the South Devon Railway locomotives and are detailed in that section, above. At the same time, 1 February 1876, another eight standard gauge locomotives were also acquired. These were renumbered 1384 - 1391.

Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway

Two locomotives were transferred to the Great Western Railway when this line closed in 1940:

Ystalyfera Tin Works

See also

References

  • The ABC of Great Western Locomotives (Ian Allen Ltd 7th Edition) (?)1945
  • The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway, Part 2: Broad Gauge. The Railway Correspondence and Travel Society. ISBN 0-906867-90-8. 
  • Casserley, H.C.; Johnston, S.C. (1966). Locomotives at the Grouping: Great Western Railway. Shepperton: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0-7110-0555-9. 
  • MacDermot, E T (1931). History of the Great Western Railway, Volume 2. London: Great Western Railway. 
  • Russell, J.H. (1975). A Pictorial Record of Great Western Engines, Volume 1. Oxford: Oxford Publishing Company. ISBN 0-86093-398-9. 
  • Stephenson, Brian (1998). "The Pre-1923 GWR Pannier and Saddle Tank Locomotives". Locomotives Illustrated (118). ISSN 0307-1804. 
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
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