Barry Railway Class A

Barry Railway Class A
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer John Wolfe Barry Builder Sharp Stewart Build date 1888 Total produced 5
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-6-0T  • UIC C Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 4 ft 3 in (1.295 m) Wheelbase 14 ft 5 in (4.394 m) Loco weight 45 long tons 6 cwt (101,500 lb or 46 t) (50.7 short tons) Fuel type Coal Boiler pressure 160 psi (1.10 MPa) Cylinders Two inside Cylinder size 18 in × 26 in 457 mm × 660 mm
Performance figures Tractive effort 21,060 lbf (93.68 kN)
Career Operators BR → GWR Delivered 1888 Withdrawn 1926–1932 Disposition All scrapped

Barry Railway Class A were the first steam tank engines to be built for the Barry Railway in South Wales and had an 0-6-0T wheel arrangement. They were designed by John Wolfe Barry and built by Sharp Stewart.

Traffic duties

The locomotive was primarily intended for heavy shunting duties at Barry Docks and Nos. 1-4 were delivered to Barry for that purpose. One locomotive, No. 5 was the first to be delivered to Treforest Junction where it hauled the Engineer's Saloon at the northern end of the line; the through line to the docks not yet being completed. To perform this duty, No. 5 was fitted with a vacuum injector and train pipes. Because of this, No.5 had the honour of hauling the first passenger train between Barry Docks and Cogan when the line opened on 20 December 1888. The following year, the Class C locomotives arrived and were specifically designed for passenger traffic. At which point, the vacuum brake fittings were removed and No. 5 was sent to work with the other 4 locomotives of the class in the docks.

Withdrawal

All five locomotives passed to the Great Western Railway in 1922. No. 1 (GWR 699) was withdrawn in April 1931 and sold to Coltness Iron Co Ltd in June 1932; it was cut up on site in March 1962. No. 2 (GWR 700) was withdrawn in October 1926 and sold to Guest, Keen Nettlefolds at Dowlais Steelworks in October 1927; it was scrapped in August 1950. No. 4 (GWR 703) was withdrawn in May 1932 and sold to Ocean Coal Co Ltd at Lady Windsor Colliery in Ynysybwl; it was scrapped in 1956. No. 3 (GWR 702) was withdrawn in April 1931 and placed on the sales list though never sold. No. 5 (GWR 706) was withdrawn in November 1930 but not offered for sale. None has been preserved.

Numbering

Year	Quantity	Manufacturer	Serial Numbers	Barry Numbers	GWR Numbers	Notes
1888	5	Sharp Stewart	3449–3553	1–5	699–700, 702–703, 706

References

• Ahrons, E. L. (1953). Locomotive and Train Working in the Latter Part of the Nineteenth Century. W. Heffer & Sons Ltd. p. 113.
• Barrie, D. S. M. (1983). The Barry Railway (reprint with addenda and amendments). Oakwood Press. p. 197. ISBN 0853612366.
• Davies, F. K.; Firth, J. M.; Lucking, J. H.; Thomas, R. E.; Allcock, N. J.; Sterndale, A. C.; Barrie, D. S. M.; Reed, P. J. T.; Mountford, E. R. (April 1966). White, D. E. (ed.). The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway, part ten: Absorbed Engines, 1922–1947. RCTS. pp. K26–K28. ISBN 0-901115-20-7.
• Miller, Brian J. (1984). Rails to Prosperity – The Barry & After 1884–1984. Regional Publications (Bristol) Ltd. p. 11. ISBN 0906570174.
• Mountford, Eric R. (1987). The Barry Railway – Diagrams and Photographs of Locomotives, Coaches and Wagons. Headington: Oakwood Press. p. 8. ISBN 0853613559.
• Russell, J. H. (1978). Great Western Absorbed Engines. Oxford Publishing Company. p. 24. ISBN 0902888749.