Taff Vale Railway A class

Taff Vale Railway A class
Class 'A' No. 397 at Abercynon 1946 (rebuilt with GWR boiler)
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer John Cameron Builder Hawthorn Leslie & Co. (27); Nasmyth, Wilson & Co. (12); North British Locomotive Co. (6); Vulcan Foundry (13) Build date 1914–1921, rebuilt 1924 Total produced 58
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-6-2T Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) 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 and introduced to the Taff Vale Railway in 1914. The A class was an enlarged version of the Taff Vale Railway O4 class designed by Tom Hurry Riches in 1907.

42 of the A class locomotives were rebuilt with taper boilers and superheaters by the Great Western Railway (GWR) and vacuum brakes for passenger working in 1924. All 58 passed to 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.

The first loco withdrawn was 344 in November 1952 from Cardiff Cathays shed. The last seven locos 370, 373, 381, 383, 390, 398 and 402 were withdrawn together in August 1957 from Abercynon shed.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 Hawthorn Leslie, Nasmyth, Wilson and Company, Vulcan Foundry and North British Locomotive Company. Their GWR/BR numbers were in the range 303-440 but they were not consecutive and were intermingled with other classes.

List of TVR A class locomotive orders

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 sometime between 1948 and 1950
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 sometime between 1948 and 1950
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 sometime between 1948 and 1950
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 sometime between 1948 and 1950

Sources

• ABC of British Railways Locomotives; part 1. Ian Allan. Winter 1957–1958. p. 22.

See also

• Welsh 0-6-2T locomotives
• Locomotives of the Great Western Railway

External links

• Rail UK database entry for Taff Vale Railway A class