Cambrian 0-6-0 Locomotives in Great_Britain

Class 15 (Locobase 20362)

Data from "New Goods Locomotives, Cambrian Rys", The Locomotive Magazine, Volume XIV [14] (14 November 1908), p.189; and "Cambrian Railways Standard Locomotives", Locomotive News and Railway Contractor, Volume XI [11], No.5 (10 March 1922) pp. 154-155. Works numbers were 5029-5033 in 1908 and a repeat order of 5944-5948 in 1918.

The 1908 quintet of all-adhesion goods engines followed on from the 1903 batch shown in Locobase 10671. For this second batch, BP appears to adopted the slightly larger boiler fitted by Robert Stephenson & Co to the five 4-4-0s of 1904 (Locobase 9080)..

The boiler shell was entirely of steel except for the copper Belpaire firebox. In place of the usual wooden lagging, the design used Keasby & Mattison Company's patent magnesia clothing. (Locobase includes that tidbit to recreate the detail of the time.)

Class 73 (Locobase 10095)

Data from George Augustus Nokes, The Evolution of the Steam Engine (London: Railway Publishing, 1899), p. 264. See also "The Locomotive History of the Cambrian Rys.", Locomotive Magazine, Volume XX [20] (15 May 1914), p. 128. Neilson's works numbers were 4691-4695 in 1894, Vulcan Foundry supplied works numbers 1445-1447 in 1895, and Neilson returned with works nubmers 5401-5402 in 1895.

Robust goods class with tall enough drivers for a decent turn of speed over some very hilly terrain. Some were later refitted with Belpaire fireboxes.

Class 89 (Locobase 10671)

Data from "New Goods Locomotives, Cambrian Rys", The Locomotive Magazine, Vol XIV (14 November 1908), p.189. Works numbers were 3089-3093.

H Jones's first locomotives The boiler shell was entirely of steel except for the copper Belpaire firebox. In place of the usual wooden lagging, the design used Keasby & Mattison Company's patent magnesia clothing. (Locobase includes that tidbit to recreate the detail of the time.)

Class Pioneer (Locobase 20130)

Data from "The Locomotive History of the Cambrian Railways", Locomotive Magazine, Volume 19 (15 October 1913), pp. 234. Works numbers were 36, 45, 52,55 (road numbers 13-14, 17-18) in 1863 and 66 (road number 24) in 1863.

The seven locomotives in this group were of MW's six-coupled standard pattern. The LM report's author couldn't determine works numbers for 10 or 15. All seven had names: Pioneer, Whizall, Natelwyd, Hereford, Merion, Cardigan, and Borth. The design had small dimensions and no weather protection for the crew.

Nantelwyd was sold to "a Mr Taylor" in 1868. Whizall went to the Llyn Iron Company in 1875, the same year that . Four others--Pioneer in 1873 and Hereford, Merion, and Cardigan in 1878--went either to other buyers or to the scrapyard in the 1870s. Borth's fate was not recorded.

Class Queen (Locobase 20131)

Data from "The Locomotive History of the Cambrian Railways", Locomotive Magazine, Volume 19 (15 November 1913), pp. 258. Works numbers were 1301-1302, 1310-1311 in 1861; 1341-1342 in 1862; 1343-1344, 1445-1446 in 1863; 1530-1531 in 1864; 1590, 1597 in 1865; 2231-2232 in 1872; 2306-2307 in 1873; and 2511, 2513 in 1875.

This large class constituted the standard goods engine design on the Cambrian for a minimum of nearly forty years. Cylinders declined at a 9 slope. Unequal spacing of the three driving axles reflected the firebox's placement between the two rear axles. The steam dome sat over the gap between the two leading axles.

All of the class had names, which appear in a table in the LM report. 11-12, 19, 26-27 originally served the Oswestry & Newtown and the 34-35, 39-40, and 45-46 entered service on the Newtown & Machynlleth before the two railways were amalgamated with others to form the Cambrian.

According to the LM report, the Brecon & Merthyr received three more locomotives that were to have had numbers 22 and 32-33.

NB: Tube length is estimated based on the known tube count and diameter and the stated tube heating surface area. However, the LM report said that the boiler barrel's length was 10 ft 4 in, which is shorter than the tube length.

Locomotive superintendent Aston rebuilt thirteen of the class in 1888; see Locobase 20132. The others were scrapped in 1899-1900.

Class Rebuilt Cambrian (Locobase 20132)

Data from "The Locomotive History of the Cambrian Railways", Locomotive Magazine, Volume 19 (15 November 1913), pp. 258-259.

Locobase 20131 shows the original specs for the 20 six-coupled goods locomotives supplied by Sharp, Stewart beginning in 1861.

Locomotive superintendent William Aston rebuilt thirteen of the class in 1888. (Two years later he would carry out a similar upgrade on twelve related express locomotives; see Locobase 20135.)

The principal changes appeared in the boiler, which now had three courses and an unusual mixture of 134 2" (50.8 mm) tubes and 38 1 3/4" (44.5 mm) tubes, and the firebox, which was slightly larger than the original. Increasing the boiler pressure by 30 psi (2.07 bar) boosted train loads. An undoubtedly welcome change had to be the cab, which replaced the weatherboards and open-air footplate with some sheltering roof and sides.

Class Talerddig (Locobase 20357)

Data from "The Locomotive History of the Cambrian Railways", Locomotive Magazine, Volume XX [20] (15 January 1914), p. 12. Works number was 2452 in 1875.

This was the only engine in the order, but it proved long-lived from the time it toiled in banking service up the Talerdigg Incline and later as "yard pilot" at the Oswestry shed. It worked beyond the 1914 date of the LM report.