2-6-2 Steam Locomotives in Great Britain

Class Edward VII (Locobase 10236)

Data from "Tank Locomotives, Vale of Rheidol Ry," The Locomotive Magazine, Vol VII (August 1902), p. 136; "The Vale of Rheidol Light Railway", Practical Engineer, Volume 27 (13 March 1903), p. 252; and "Narrow Gauge Railways-Vale of Rheidol Light Railway", Railway Engineer, Volume 24, No 5 (May 1903), p. 77. See also on the Vale of Rheidol website at [], last accessed 8 August 2025. Information about the VofR from [], last accessed 23 April 2009. Works numbers were 1-2 in 1903.

These two tanks were the first locomotives to be built by this firm, which had conducted some locomotive overhauls. They are said to be similar to those of the Lynton & Barstaple Railway.

The VofR was a Welsh railway (Cardiganshire) that started from the port town of Aberystwith and ran 11 1/2 miles to Devil's Bridge. It opened in 1902 to serve Rheidol Valley lead mines, timber shipments, even passenger traffic that could board at Aberystwyth, Llanbadarn, Capel Bangor, Nantyronen and Devil's Bridge. One of its grades runs at 2% for 4 miles (6.4 km) and the total elevation gain from the Cambrian coast to the terminus is 600 feet (183 metres).

Although prosperous enough by 1912 to merit consideration for conversion to electric traction, the railway was taken over by the Cambrian Railways. When the Great Western took over the Cambrian, it undertook the "rebuilding" of #1213 Prince of Wales, but instead produced a new locomotive using the same number; see Locobase 20965 for the details. When the other two locomotives in that later class were produced, #1212 was declared redundant and scrapped in 1920.

The GWR began closing marginal lines with the result that all goods traffic was diverted by 1930 and tourist traffic in the summer became its main service. Even that stopped in 1939 through 1945. Remarkably, tourist service not only resumed in 1946, but also remained in service and under steam by British Rail using the GWR tanks until 1989.

Brecon Mountain Railway initially owned the line after privatization, but sold it in 1996 to the Phyllis Rampton Trust, which collects narrow-gauge locomotives from around the world.

Class Owain Glyndwr (Locobase 20965)

Data from "Tank Locomotives, Vale of Rheidol Ry," The Locomotive Magazine, Volume XXIX (15 October 1923), p. 306. See also "OUR LOCOMOTIVES" on the Vale of Rheidol Railway website at [], last accessed 2 December 2021.

In 1902, the Vale of Rheidol took delivery of the first two tank locomotives to operate on this Welsh narrow-gauge line (Locobase 10236). More than twenty years later and after the little line was grouped with several others under the Great Western herald, the GWR's Swindon works tweaked the original design and delivered road numbers 7 and 8. The 7's name is the Welsh name for Owen Glendower. #8 was named Llywelyn.

Changes to the original included a higher boiler pressure setting, replacing inside Stephenson link motion with external radial valve gear outside of the frame, and added weight. The VoL website describes a sleight-of-hand response to the GWR board's unwillingness to fund more than two new locomotives in this. They brought both 1212-1213 into the shops to overhaul them Although 1212 did receive repairs, it only operated as a spare engine and went to the scrapper in 1932. 1213, found to be in worse shape, disappeared under a scrapper's torch and Swindon delivered an overhauled "1213" composed of entirely new parts "to fool the GWR Board and accountants.".

The GWR began closing marginal lines with the result that all goods traffic was diverted by 1930 and tourist traffic in the summer became its main service. Even that stopped in 1939 through 1945. Remarkably, tourist service not only resumed in 1946, but also remained in service and under steam by British Rail using the GWR tanks until 1989.

Brecon Mountain Railway initially owned the line after privatization, but sold it in 1996 to the Phyllis Rampton Trust, which collects narrow-gauge locomotives from around the world. As of 2021, both locomotives gleamed in their dark green GWR livery accented by bright brass chimney caps and safety valve stands. Their long tanks extended from the cab front on each side to points just ahead of the smokebox door.