Taff Vale Railway U1 class

(Redirected from Taff Vale Railway U class)

The Taff Vale Railway U and U1 classes were 0-6-2T steam tank locomotive operated by Taff Vale Railway, Wales, from 1895. All were still in use when the Taff Vale Railway was acquired by the Great Western Railway in 1922 but were withdrawn from traffic between 1927 and 1931.

Taff Vale Railway U and U1 classes
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerTom Hurry Riches
BuilderVulcan Foundry
Build dateU: 1895; U1: 1896
Total producedU: 8
U1: 7
Specifications
Configuration:
 • Whyte0-6-2T
 • UICC1 n2t
Gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Driver dia.5 ft 3 in (1.600 m)
Trailing dia.U: 3 ft 8+34 in (1.137 m);
U1: 3 ft 1 in (0.940 m)
Loco weightU: 63 long tons 0 cwt (141,100 lb or 64 t)
(70.6 short tons);
U1: 62 long tons 18 cwt (140,900 lb or 63.9 t)
(70.4 short tons)
Boiler pressure160 psi (1.10 MPa)
SuperheaterNone
CylindersTwo
Cylinder size17.5 in × 26 in (444 mm × 660 mm)
Valve gearStephenson
Performance figures
Tractive effort17,190 lbf (76.46 kN)
Career
OperatorsTVR » GWR
Retired1927–1931
DispositionAll scrapped

Overview

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Tom Hurry Riches, the Taff Vale Railway's Locomotive Superintendent brought out 2 similar classes, the U and the U1 for working passenger trains, both 0-6-2Ts. The only difference between the U and U1 class was in the radial wheels which were 3 ft 8+34 in (1.137 m) in the former and 3 ft 1 in (0.940 m) in the latter.

The boilers were identical with those fitted on the N, O and O1 classes but worked at the design pressure of 160 pounds-force per square inch (1.10 MPa), the mixed traffic engines being worked at 150 psi (1.03 MPa), or occasionally 140 psi (0.97 MPa). The main differences from the mixed traffic engines were larger diameter driving wheels, a longer wheelbase and replacing the usual four bar motion with single bar.

Accidents and incidents

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  • On 23 January 1911 locomotive No. 193 was hauling a passenger train which was in a rear-end collision with a freight train at Hopkinstown, Glamorgan. Eleven people were killed and five were injured.[1]

Numbering

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Year Quantity Manufacturer Serial Numbers TVR Numbers GWR Numbers Notes
1895 8 Vulcan Foundry 1437–1444 191–194, 23, 72, 76 and 77 593, 595–597, 587, 589–591 U class
1896 7 Vulcan Foundry 1458–1464 30, 40, 79, 195–198 602, 588, 592, 598, 599, 603, 600 U1 class

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Hoole, Ken (1983). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 4. Redruth: Atlantic Books. p. 29. ISBN 0-906899-07-9.
Source
  • Casserley, H. C. & Johnston, Stuart W. (1966). Locomotives at the Grouping 4: Great Western Railway. Shepperton, Middlesex: Ian Allan Limited. p. 80.