South Devon Railway 0-4-0 locomotives

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Tiny on display at Buckfastleigh Buckfastleigh Tiny.jpg
Tiny on display at Buckfastleigh

The South Devon Railway 0-4-0 locomotives were small 0-4-0 broad gauge locomotives operated on the South Devon Railway, Cornwall Railway, mainly on the dockside lines around Plymouth.

Contents

On 1 February 1876 the South Devon Railway was amalgamated with the Great Western Railway, the locomotives were given numbers by their new owners but continued to carry their names too.

Tiny

Tiny
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
Builder Sara and Company
Specifications
Configuration:
   Whyte 0-4-0 VBT
Gauge 7 ft 0+14 in (2.140 m)
Driver dia.3 ft 0 in (0.91 m)
Wheelbase 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Cylinder size 9 in × 12 in (230 mm × 300 mm)
Career
Operators South Devon Railway,
Great Western Railway
DispositionStatic display

Tiny was built by Sara and Company. It has a vertical boiler and was similar to four locomotives that later worked in the docks at Falmouth in Cornwall. [1]

After withdrawal it was used at Newton Abbot where it was used to power machinery in the workshops there. In 1927, no longer required for this purpose, it was displayed on the platform at the station opposite the workshops. It has since been moved to Buckfastleigh railway station where it is displayed in the museum of the South Devon Railway Trust.

Owl class

Owl
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
Builder Avonside Engine Company
Specifications
Configuration:
   Whyte 0-4-0 WT
Gauge 7 ft 0+14 in (2.140 m)
Driver dia.3 ft 0 in (0.91 m)
Wheelbase 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Cylinder size 11 in × 16 in (280 mm × 410 mm) [2]
Career
Operators South Devon Railway,
Great Western Railway,
Pearson & Son
Class Owl
DispositionAll scrapped

The three Owl class locomotives had well tanks and were built by the Avonside Engine Company. [2]

The locomotive was named after the bird Owl.
The locomotive was named after the animal Goat.
Owl and Goat were withdrawn and stored. In 1890 they were sold to Pearson and Son, engineers contracted to work on the railway near Ivybridge. [2] Once this work was finished in 1893 they were sold back to the Great Western Railway, then converted to standard gauge and worked until 1913.
The locomotive was named after the animal Weasel. It was withdrawn in 1882 and scrapped. [2]

Raven class

Raven
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
Builder Avonside Engine Company
Specifications
Configuration:
   Whyte 0-4-0 ST
Gauge 7 ft 0+14 in (2.140 m)
Driver dia.3 ft 0 in (0.91 m)
Wheelbase 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)
Cylinder size 14 in × 18 in (360 mm × 460 mm) [3]
Career
Operators South Devon Railway,
Great Western Railway,
Wantage Tramway,
Powisland & Mason
Class Raven
DispositionAll scrapped

The seven Raven class were saddle tank locomotives and were again built by the Avonside Engine Company. They were highly unusual for broad gauge locomotives in having outside cylinders. [3]

After gauge conversion in 1892 Crow was rebuilt as a standard gauge locomotive and ran in this form as no. 1331 until sold to Powesland and Mason for work at Swansea harbour.
The locomotive was named after the bird Crow, a member of the crow family.
After gauge conversion in 1892 Jay was rebuilt as a standard gauge locomotive and ran in this form as no. 1333 until sold to Powesland and Mason for work at Swansea harbour.
The locomotive was named after the bird Jay, a member of the crow family.
After gauge conversion in 1892 Lark was rebuilt as a standard gauge locomotive and ran in this form as no. 1332 until sold to Powisland and Mason for work at Swansea harbour.
The locomotive was named after the bird Lark.
Raven was sold to the Torbay and Brixham Railway in 1877. In 1883 this railway was sold to the Great Western Railway. [3] After gauge conversion in 1892 it was rebuilt as a standard gauge locomotive and ran in this form as no. 1329, eventually finding it way to the Wantage Tramway where it was withdrawn in 1919 following an accident.
The locomotive was named after the bird Raven, a member of the crow family.
After gauge conversion in 1892 Rook was rebuilt as a standard gauge locomotive and ran in this form as no. 1330 and until 1906 when it was sold to Powesland and Mason for work at Swansea harbour and they gave it number 7. On 1 January 1924 it was one of nine Powesland and Mason locomotives that returned to the Great Western Railway. It was given new GWR number 925 and was finally withdrawn in 1929.
The locomotive was named after the bird rook, a member of the crow family.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Western Railway</span> British railway company (1833–1947)

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 its first trains in 1838 with the initial route completed between London and Bristol in 1841. It was engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who chose a broad gauge of 7 ft —later slightly widened to 7 ft 14 in —but, from 1854, a series of amalgamations saw it also operate 4 ft 8+12 in standard-gauge trains; the last broad-gauge services were operated in 1892.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Locomotives of the Great Western Railway</span> List of railway locomotives used by the Great Western Railway

The first Locomotives of the Great Western Railway (GWR) were specified by Isambard Kingdom Brunel but Daniel Gooch was soon appointed as the railway's Locomotive Superintendent. He designed several different 7 ft 14 in broad gauge types for the growing railway, such as the Firefly and later Iron Duke Class 2-2-2s. In 1864 Gooch was succeeded by Joseph Armstrong who brought his standard gauge experience to the workshops at Swindon. To replace some of the earlier locomotives, he put broad gauge wheels on his standard gauge locomotives and from this time on all locomotives were given numbers, including the broad gauge ones that had previously carried just names.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GWR Ariadne Class</span>

The Great Western Railway (GWR) Ariadne Class and Caliph Class were broad gauge 0-6-0 steam locomotives designed for goods train work by Daniel Gooch and are often referred to as his Standard Goods locomotives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GWR Metropolitan Class</span>

The Great Western Railway Metropolitan Class2-4-0T broad gauge steam locomotives with condensing apparatus were used for working trains on the Metropolitan Railway. The equipment was later removed, though the class continued to work suburban trains on GWR lines in London. The class was introduced into service between June 1862 and October 1864, and withdrawn between June 1871 and December 1877.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GWR Iron Duke class</span> Steam locomotives built 1846–1847

The Great Western Railway Iron Duke Class 4-2-2 was a class of 7 ft 14 in broad gauge steam locomotives for express passenger train work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GWR Sir Watkin Class</span>

The Great Western Railway Sir Watkin Class were 0-6-0T broad gauge steam locomotives. They were designed for working goods trains through to the underground Metropolitan Railway in London. This class was introduced into service between December 1865 and the last was withdrawn at the end of the GWR broad gauge in May 1892. They were all named after directors and senior officers of the railway.

The Great Western Railway Swindon Class were broad gauge 0-6-0 locomotives built for goods train work. This class entered service between November 1865 and March 1866, and were withdrawn between June 1887 and the end of the GWR broad gauge in May 1892. The entire class was sold to the Bristol and Exeter Railway between July 1872 and September 1874 and were numbered 96-109, but returned to the GWR when that railway was absorbed. The locomotives were then renumbered 2077-2090; their names were not restored.

The GWR was the longest-lived of the pre-nationalisation railway companies in Britain, surviving the 'Grouping' of the railways in 1923 almost unchanged. As a result, the history of its numbering and classification of locomotives is relatively complicated. This page explains the principal systems that were used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Devon Railway locomotives</span>

South Devon Railway locomotives were broad gauge locomotives that operated over the South Devon Railway, Cornwall Railway, and West Cornwall Railway in England. They were, at times, operated by contractors on behalf of the railways.

The Eagle class were sixteen 4-4-0ST broad gauge locomotives operated on the South Devon Railway (SDR), Cornwall Railway (CR) and associated adjacent railways. They were designed for passenger trains on this steep and sharply curved line but were also used on goods trains when required.

The two Remus class locomotives were 0-6-0ST broad gauge locomotives operated by the South Devon Railway, England. They were ordered for working goods trains on the West Cornwall Railway but were also used on passenger trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Devon Railway 2-4-0 locomotives</span>

The South Devon Railway 2-4-0 locomotives were small 2-4-0T broad gauge locomotives operated on the South Devon Railway, mainly on its branch lines such as that to Ashburton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Devon Railway Leopard class</span>

The Leopard class were four 4-4-0STbroad gauge locomotives designed for passenger trains but were also used on goods trains when required. They were built by the Avonside Engine Company for the South Devon Railway, but also operated on its associated railways. Although designed for easy conversion to standard gauge this was never carried out.

South Devon Railway <i>Dido</i> class Class of 8 British broad-gauge 0-6-0ST locomotives

The eight Dido class locomotives were 0-6-0ST broad gauge locomotives operated on the South Devon Railway and Cornwall Railway and associated other adjacent railways. They were designed for goods trains but were also used on passenger trains when required.

The ten Buffalo class locomotives were 0-6-0ST broad gauge locomotives operated on the South Devon Railway, Cornwall Railway and West Cornwall Railway. They were designed for goods trains but were also used on passenger trains when required.

The Torbay and Brixham Railway was a 7 ft broad gauge railway in England which linked the Dartmouth and Torbay Railway at Churston railway station, Devon with the important fishing port of Brixham. It was a little over two miles long. Never more than a local branch line, it closed in 1963.

Vale of Neath Railway 0-6-0ST locomotives were 0-6-0ST steam locomotives for working the heavy goods traffic on the Vale of Neath Railway and its associated lines in Wales. The first of 13 broad gauge locomotives entered service in 1854 and the last was withdrawn in 1886. The remaining four were standard gauge locomotives.

The Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway was a 7 ft 14 in broad gauge railway line in Wales that was intended to connect Carmarthen on the South Wales Railway with Cardigan. In fact, it was unable to raise the necessary capital and was loss-making from the time of opening the first short section of its line in 1860, and it was in receivership for much of its life. It eventually reached Llandysul in 1864 but was not extended further during its independent existence.

Powlesland and Mason were a company that provided steam locomotives and crews for shunting within Swansea Docks. The first name has sometimes been spelt "Powesland" and it is uncertain which spelling is correct.

References

  1. Sheppard 2008 , pp. 68–69, Tiny
  2. 1 2 3 4 Sheppard 2008 , p. 69, Owl
  3. 1 2 3 4 Sheppard 2008 , pp. 69–70, Raven