Taff Vale Railway A class

The Taff Vale Railway A class was a class of 0-6-2T steam tank locomotives designed by J. Cameron and introduced to the Taff Vale Railway in 1914. The A class was an enlarged version of the Taff Vale Railway O4 class designed by Tom Hurry Riches in 1907.

Taff Vale Railway A class
Class 'A' No. 397 at Abercynon 1946 (rebuilt with GWR boiler)
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer John Cameron Builder Hawthorn Leslie & Co. (27); Nasmyth, Wilson & Co. (12); North British Locomotive Co. (6); Vulcan Foundry (13) Build date 1914–1921, rebuilt 1924 Total produced 58
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-6-2T Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 5 ft 3 in (1.600 m) Loco weight 65.70 long tons (66.75 t; 73.58 short tons) Fuel type Coal Boiler pressure As built: 175 psi (1.21 MPa) Rebuilt: 200 psi (1.38 MPa) Cylinders Two, inside Cylinder size As built: 18 in × 26 in (457 mm × 660 mm) Rebuilt: 17.5 in × 26 in (444 mm × 660 mm)
Performance figures Tractive effort As built: 21,000 lbf (93.4 kN) Rebuilt: 21,480 lbf (95.5 kN)
Career Power class BR: 4P Retired 1952–1957 Disposition All scrapped

42 of the A class locomotives were rebuilt with taper boilers and superheaters by the Great Western Railway (GWR) and vacuum brakes for passenger working in 1924. All 58 passed to British Railways (BR) in 1948, until the introduction of the BR 82xxx 2-6-2Ts in the mid-1950s, these engines were widely used on passenger workings in the South Wales Valleys.

Several were employed as Works Pilots in Swindon.[1] The first loco withdrawn was 344 in November 1952 from Cardiff Cathays shed. The last seven locos 370, 373, 381, 383, 390, 398 and 402 were withdrawn together in August 1957 from Abercynon shed. None are preserved.