Barry Railway Class C
Barry Railway Class C 2-4-0T
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerJ. H. Hosgood
BuilderSharp Stewart
Build date1889–1890
Total produced4
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte2-4-0T altered to 2-4-2T
 • UIC1B n2t altered to 1B1 n2t
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Driver dia.5 ft 3 in (1.600 m)
Trailing dia.3 ft 6 in (1.067 m)
Wheelbase15 ft 3 in (4.648 m)
Loco weight41 long tons 2 cwt (92,100 lb or 41.8 t) (46.0 short tons)
Fuel typeCoal
Boiler pressure150 psi (1.03 MPa)
CylindersTwo inside
Cylinder size17 in × 24 in (432 mm × 610 mm)
Performance figures
Tractive effort14,040 lbf (62.45 kN)
Career
OperatorsBR → GWR
Delivered1889–1890
Withdrawn1898–1928
DispositionAll scrapped

Barry Railway Class C were originally 2-4-0T steam locomotives of the Barry Railway in South Wales. They were designed by J. H. Hosgood and built by Sharp Stewart.

Traffic duties

The locomotive was the first purpose built passenger locomotive built for the company. They pulled passenger trains between Barry and Cogan on the Cardiff branch. However, on 14 August 1893, the Barry Railway began running trains from Barry to Cardiff Riverside station (GWR) having obtained running powers over the Taff Vale from Cogan Junction to Penarth Junction and over the GWR into Cardiff Riverside, a station adjacent to the GWR's main station of Cardiff General. [1]

Derailment

On the first day of service, Class C no. 21 was given the honour of pulling the first train of the new Barry to Cardiff service. It unfortunately disgraced itself by derailing on the sharp curve of Cogan Junction where the Barry joined the Taff Vale Railway. Subsequently, traffic was held up for several hours on both railways. [1]

Altered wheel arrangement

The Class C operated the Barry–Cardiff service, along with the Class G, until the arrival of the Class J in 1897. Its limited fuel and water capacity rendered the Class C inadequate for the longer commuter journey. Therefore, in June 1898, Nos 21 and 22 were taken to Barry Locomotive Works and their wheel arrangement changed from 2-4-0T to 2-4-2T. [2]

Return to duties

They made a limited return to the Cardiff service but ended up being assigned to other duties. For example, No. 21 was given the task of hauling the Directors' saloon, Engineer's saloon and the Manager's Truck. In contrast, No. 22 usually worked colliers' trains on the main line and light passenger trains on the Vale of Glamorgan line. In 1904, the Manager's Truck was converted into the Pay Clerk's Van. Early experiments as a self-propelled petrol engine van failed miserably with numerous breakdowns causing disruption to the scheduled traffic. As a result, No. 21 was reassigned the task of hauling the Van in its new guise.[3] In 1914, the Barry Railway's two steam railmotors were converted into semi-corridor coaches and became known as the "vestibule set". They were hauled by either Nos. 21 and 22 and the train was used on the Barry to Bridgend service. [4]

Disposals

Unusually for the Barry, two of the Class C were disposed of during Barry days. These were Nos. 37 and 52 which were both withdrawn and disposed of in 1898. 37 remained as a 2-4-0T and 52 was converted to a 2-4-2T just before its sale.

Barry number Date of sale Purchaser Date passed to GWR GWR numbers Withdrawn Notes
37 August 1898 Port Talbot Railway 1922 1189 November 1926
52 November 1898 Port Talbot Railway 1922 1326 August 1930

Withdrawal

The two remaining locomotives passed to the Great Western Railway in 1922. No. 21 was withdrawn in 1926 and No. 22 in 1928. None has been preserved.

Numbering

Year Quantity Manufacturer Serial numbers Barry numbers GWR numbers Notes
1889 2 Sharp Stewart 3528–3529 21–22 1322–1323
1890 2 Sharp Stewart 3610, 3626 37, 52 783–784

References

  1. ^ a b Barrie 1983, p. 169.
  2. ^ Davies et al. 1966, p. K33.
  3. ^ Davies et al. 1966, p. K34.
  4. ^ Chapman 1998, p. 103.
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