The Great Western Railway (GWR) 1366 Class was a class of 0-6-0 pannier tank steam locomotives built in 1934. They were a useful design and because of their light weight and short wheelbase and were often used on dockside branches or other lines with sharp curvatures.

GWR 1366 class
GWR 1366 Class 0-6-0PT No. 1367 at Weymouth in 1961. Note the outside cylinders - the 0-6-0PT behind has the more common inside cylinder arrangement
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Charles Collett Builder GWR Swindon Works Order number Lot 286 Build date February 1934 Total produced 6
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-6-0PT  • UIC C nt Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 3 ft 8 in (1.118 m) Wheelbase 11 ft 0 in (3.353 m) Length 26 ft 2+1⁄4 in (7.982 m) over buffers Width 8 ft 6 in (2.591 m) Height 11 ft 11+5⁄8 in (3.648 m) Axle load 13 long tons 0 cwt (29,100 lb or 13.2 t) 13 long tons 0 hundredweight (14.6 short tons; 13.2 t) full Loco weight 35 long tons 15 cwt (80,100 lb or 36.3 t) 35 long tons 15 hundredweight (40.0 short tons; 36.3 t) full Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 2 long tons 3 cwt (4,800 lb or 2.2 t) 2 long tons 3 hundredweight (2.4 short tons; 2.2 t) Water cap. 830 imp gal (3,800 l; 1,000 US gal) Firebox:  • Firegrate area 10.7 sq ft (0.99 m2) Boiler GWR 1392[1] Boiler pressure 165 psi (1.14 MPa) Heating surface:  • Tubes 715 sq ft (66.4 m2)  • Firebox 73 sq ft (6.8 m2) Superheater None Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 16 in × 20 in (406 mm × 508 mm) Valve gear Allan Valve type Slide valves
Performance figures Tractive effort 16,320 lbf (72.6 kN)
Career Operators GWR » BR Class 1366 Power class GWR: Unclassified, BR: 1F Numbers 1366–1371 Axle load class GWR: Unclassified Withdrawn 1960–1964 Preserved No. 1369 Disposition One preserved, remainder scrapped

History and development

The 1366 class was one of only two pannier tank designs built by the GWR that utilised outside cylinders, although various existing engines inherited by the GWR had pannier tanks and outside cylinders. The 1366 class was developed from the 1361 Class but differed by including a pannier tank rather than a saddle tank, Belpaire firebox, etc. They were designed to replace the 1392 Class.

Operational history

Originally, five of the six locomotives of the class were allocated to Swindon shed; No. 1371 was originally sent to Llanelly [sic][2] but when they were taken over by British Railways Western Region in 1948 three of the six had been reallocated to Weymouth for use on the docks there.

In 1950 the situation remained as it had in 1948[3] while by 1955 one of the locomotives had moved shed allocation from Swindon to Taunton (although actually used at Bridgwater[2]) with three still remaining at Weymouth[4] and this in turn continued until 1959.[5] With the move from steam to diesel the first of the class to be withdrawn was 1370 which was withdrawn from Weymouth shed in January 1960[2] followed by 1371 from Swindon shed in November of that year[2] and then 1366 from Taunton the following February.[2]

However, the three remaining locomotives were offered a new lease of life. No. 1369 was sent via Yeovil[6] to Wadebridge and after successful clearance trials had taken place numbers 1367 and 1368 followed,[7] the locomotives being used to replace the Beattie Well Tanks that had run over the Bodmin and Wadebridge Railway to Wenfordbridge for the previous 87 years.[8] However, dieselisation caught up with them again, and all three were withdrawn in 1964[2] having operated for just 2 years in Cornwall. The final locomotive, 1369, left Wadebridge under its own steam for the Dart Valley Railway on 20 February being the last operational British Railways steam locomotive to be based in Cornwall.[9]

One example, No. 1369, survives on the South Devon Railway.[10]

See also

• GWR 0-6-0PT – list of classes of GWR 0-6-0 pannier tank, including table of preserved locomotives

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to GWR 1366 Class.

• http://www.greatwestern.org.uk/m_in_060_1366.htm
• http://www.southdevonrailwayassociation.org/1369-hist.html