Taff Vale Railway O1 class

Taff Vale Railway O1 class
No 28 when first restored to working order in 1983 by the Caerphilly Railway Society
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Kitson & Co. (8), TVR Cardiff West (6) Serial number Kitson 3572–3579 Build date 1894 (8), 1897 (6) Total produced 14
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-6-2T  • UIC C1 n2t Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 4 ft 6 1⁄2 in (1.384 m) Loco weight 56 long tons 8 cwt (126,300 lb or 57.3 t) (63.2 short tons) Fuel type Coal Boiler pressure 150 psi (1.03 MPa) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 17.5 in × 26 in (444 mm × 660 mm) Valve gear Stephenson
Performance figures Tractive effort 18,620 lbf (82.83 kN)
Career Operators TVR » GWR Withdrawn 1925–1931 Preserved One: No.28 Disposition One preserved, remainder scrapped

The Taff Vale Railway O1 class was a class of 0-6-2T steam tank locomotives designed by Tom Hurry Riches and introduced to the Taff Vale Railway in 1894.

All were withdrawn from traffic between 1925 and 1931.

Of the 0-6-2T mixed traffic class, only one survives today, No.28. It is the last Welsh-build standard gauge locomotive. No.28 began its TVR career working the mineral and coal trains from collieries to port. By 1922 when the Great Western Railway had taken control, it had run 483,189 miles, and by 1923 was given a major overhaul, receiving a new boiler from the West Yard Works.

Absorbed into the GWR fleet, No.28 was renumbered No.450, and given a GWR-style cover over its safety value, its external design was unchanged. It was withdrawn from service on 30 October 1926, but was found to be in good mechanical condition and sold to Government in 1927, for use on the Woolmer Military Instructional Railway, later called the Longmoor Military Railway. The engine was named "Gordon", after the General of Khartoum, and was kept in immaculate condition in Hampshire, performing relatively light duties compared to its TVR working days.

The Second World War broke out and No.28 was renumbered W.D 205, then W.D 70205, before becoming surplus again and put into storage. It was then sold in 1947 to the National Coal Board and used at their Hetton colliery railway. It was renumbered No.67, though still retaining the "Gordon" nameplates as it engaged in heavy work on the coalfields again. It received a major overhaul in 1955, with minor alterations to its external design, but by 1959 it needed boiler repairs and was withdrawn from service in 1960.

Following requests to NCB that it should be saved, it was successfully presented to British Railways for preservation in 1962. It is now part of the . It was originally intended that the last Welsh-built standard gauge locomotive be restored to original TVR condition at the Caerphilly Locomotive Works, however the site was given notice of closure and No.28 was the last to leave for storage in Swindon and London.