GWR Leo Class

The Great Western Railway Leo Class 2-4-0 was a class of broad gauge steam locomotives for goods train work. This class was introduced into service between January 1841 and July 1842, and withdrawn between September 1864 and June 1874.

GWR Leo class
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Daniel Gooch Builder Rothwell & Co. (12) R. & W. Hawthorn & Co. (3) Fenton, Murray & Jackson (3) Total produced 18
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-4-0  • UIC 1B n2 Gauge 7 ft ^1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) Leading dia. 3 ft 6 in (1.067 m) Driver dia. 5 ft 0 in (1.524 m) Wheelbase Loco: 12 ft 9 in (3.886 m) Firebox:  • Firegrate area 11.5 sq ft (1.07 m^2) Boiler 50 lbf/in^2 (340 kPa) Heating surface:  • Tubes 396 sq ft (36.8 m^2)  • Firebox 71 sq ft (6.6 m^2) Cylinder size 15 in × 18 in (381 mm × 457 mm)
Performance figures Tractive effort 2,868 lbf (12.76 kN)
Career Operators Great Western Railway Withdrawn 1864 - 1874 Disposition All scrapped

These locomotives were the first for the railway with coupled wheels as they were designed as goods locomotives, but they later found use on passenger trains too. All the class were altered to 2-4-0ST saddle tanks.

The locomotives were built by three different workshops, each with its own naming convention. The first three came from R and W Hawthorn and Company, who named them after strong animals. The next three were named after volcanoes by Fenton, Murray and Jackson, while the final twelve came from Rothwell and Company carrying the names of the twelve houses of the zodiac.

Locomotives

Name	Manufacturer	Serial Nº	Built	Withdrawn	Notes
Elephant	R. & W. Hawthorn & Co.	319	January 1841	December 1870
Buffalo	R. & W. Hawthorn & Co.	320	March 1841	April 1865
Dromedary	R. & W. Hawthorn & Co.	321	March 1841	December 1866
Hecla	Fenton, Murray and Jackson	35	April 1841	September 1864	[Note 1]
Stromboli	Fenton, Murray and Jackson	36	April 1841	July 1870
Etna	Fenton, Murray and Jackson	37	June 1841	December 1870
Aries	Rothwell and Company	66	June 1841	June 1871
Taurus	Rothwell and Company	67	July 1841	December 1870	[Note 2]
Gemini	Rothwell and Company	68	September 1841	March 1866
Cancer	Rothwell and Company	69	October 1841	June 1874
Leo	Rothwell and Company	70	October 1841	December 1870
Virgo	Rothwell and Company	71	December 1841	December 1870
Libra	Rothwell and Company	72	February 1842	June 1871
Scorpio	Rothwell and Company	73	February 1842	December 1872
Sagittarius	Rothwell and Company	74	April 1842	June 1871	[Note 3]
Capricornus	Rothwell and Company	75	April 1842	July 1870	[Note 4]
Aquarius	Rothwell and Company	76	June 1842	July 1870
Pisces	Rothwell and Company	77	July 1842	June 1874	[Note 5]

Notes

1. Hecla: On 24 December 1841 it was involved in a fatal accident in Sonning Cutting near Reading. It was hauling a so-called "baggage train" consisting of both passenger and goods trucks, when it ran into an earth slip in the cutting, killing eight passengers. At the coroner's inquest on the passengers killed the jury returned a verdict of accidental death in all cases and a deodand of one thousand pounds on the engine, tender and carriages. The deodand was later overturned.
2. Taurus: worked the first South Devon Railway train from Newton to Torquay on 18 December 1848.
3. Sagittarius: worked the first train to Warminster on 9 September 1851.
4. Capricorn: Along with Pisces, worked the first train from Totnes to Laira, the temporary terminus of the South Devon Railway at Plymouth on 5 May 1848.
5. Pisces:Along with Capricornus, worked the first train from Totnes to Laira, the temporary terminus of the South Devon Railway at Plymouth on 5 May 1848.

References

• Reed, P. J. T. (February 1953). White, D. E. (ed.). The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway, Part 2: Broad Gauge. Kenilworth: RCTS. pp. B16–B17. ISBN 0-901115-32-0.