Barry Railway Class A

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.

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Career Operators BR → GWR Delivered 1888 Withdrawn 1926–1932 Disposition All scrapped

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 was used to pull 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 No. 1 (GWR 699) was withdrawn in April 1931 and sold to Coltness Iron Co Ltd in June 1932; it was cut up on site in March 1962. No. 2 (GWR 700) was withdrawn in October 1926 and sold to Guest, Keen Nettlefolds at Dowlais Steelworks in October 1927; it was scrapped in August 1950. No. 4 (GWR 703) was withdrawn in May 1932 and sold to Ocean Coal Co Ltd at Lady Windsor Colliery in Ynysybwl; it was scrapped in 1956. No. 3 (GWR 702) was withdrawn in April 1931 and placed on the sales list though never sold. No. 5 (GWR 706) was withdrawn in November 1930 but not offered for sale.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.