Brecon Mountain Railway
Encyclopedia
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
: Rheilffordd Mynydd Brycheiniog) is a narrow gauge preserved railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
that runs through the Brecon Beacons
Brecon Beacons
The Brecon Beacons is a mountain range in South Wales. In a narrow sense, the name refers to the range of popular peaks south of Brecon, including South Wales' highest mountain, Pen y Fan, and which together form the central section of the Brecon Beacons National Park...
along the full length of the Pontsticill Reservoir
Pontsticill Reservoir
Pontsticill Reservoir or Taf Fechan Reservoir is a large reservoir on the Taf Fechan lying partly in the county of Powys and partly within the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil in south Wales. It lies within the Brecon Beacons National Park and Fforest Fawr Geopark...
. It is located three miles north of Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...
.
The line runs along part of the trackbed of the northern section of the former standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
Brecon and Merthyr Railway
Brecon and Merthyr Railway
The Brecon and Merthyr Junction Railway was one of several railways that served the industrial areas of South Wales and Monmouthshire. It ranked fifth amongst them in size, although hemmed in by the Taff Vale Railway and Great Western Railway...
from Pant
Pant, Merthyr Tydfil
Pant is a village and community on the outskirts of Merthyr Tydfil, a large former mining town in the South Wales Valleys, Wales. Pant is notable for being the starting point of the Brecon Mountain Railway, and the site of the former Morlais railway tunnel, which runs underneath the village and...
to Pontsticill
Pontsticill
Pontsticill is a village within the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales. It lies within the valley of the Taf Fechan on the southern edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park...
and then to Dolygaer. The purpose of the line is to take tourists into the Brecon Beacons National Park in preference to them entering with their car
Čar
Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
s. Plans exist for the line to be extended as far as Torpantau, at the southern entrance to the tunnel that carried the line through the hills, along the side of Glyn Colwen and as far as Brecon
Brecon
Brecon is a long-established market town and community in southern Powys, Mid Wales, with a population of 7,901. It was the county town of the historic county of Brecknockshire; although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of Powys, it remains an important local centre...
.
The railway is a member of the Great Little Trains of Wales
Great Little Trains of Wales
The Great Little Trains of Wales is a joint marketing scheme formed in 1970 to promote some of the narrow gauge railways of Wales and encourage visitors to Wales. As well as marketing the railways, the scheme allows visitors to purchase a discount card, allowing reduced rates on all the lines.As of...
.
Locomotives
| Builder | Works No. | Date | Type | Name or Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baldwin Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of... |
15511 | 1897 | 2-6-2 2-6-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels.Other equivalent classifications are:... |
|
| Baldwin Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of... |
61269 | 1930 | 4-6-2 4-6-2 4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics... |
2 |
| Brecon Mountain Railway | 001 | 1987 | 0-6-0DH | |
| De Winton De Winton De Winton & Co were engineers in Caernarfon, Wales. They built vertical boilered narrow gauge locomotives for use in Welsh slate mines and other industrial settings. At least six De Winton locomotives have been preserved... |
1894 | 0-4-0VBT | Pendyffryn | |
| Henschel Henschel & Son Henschel & Son was a German company, situated in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting vehicles and weapons.... |
29587 | 1957 | 2-8-2 2-8-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle... |
146 (SAR NG15 Class SAR NG15 Class In 1931 three narrow gauge locomotives with a 2-8-2 Mikado wheel arrangement, similar in design to their existing Class Hd and Class NG5 locomotives, were acquired for the Otavi Mining and Railway Company in South West Africa... ) |
| Hunslet Engine Co. | 827 | 1903 | 0-4-0ST | Sybil |
| Jung Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik The Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik was a locomotive manufacturer, in particular of Feldbahn locomotives, in Kirchen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.... |
1261 | 1908 | 0-6-2WT+T | Graf Schwerin-Löwitz Hans Graf von Schwerin-Löwitz Tammo Count Hans Axel von Schwerin-Löwitz was a German politician and officer.Hans Graf von Schwerin-Löwitz until 1881 was an active officer and Flügeladjutant in Saxony... 99-3553 |
| Redstone | 1905 | 0-4-0VBTT | ||
| Wickham | 10943 | 1976 | 2w-2PMR |
Operational Steam Locomotives
- BaldwinBaldwin Locomotive WorksThe Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
pacific4-6-24-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
No. 2. Originally built for the Eastern Province Cement Company in Port Elizabeth, South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Acquired by the Brecon Mountain Railway around 1990, and restored to full working order in 1997 . - Jung 0-6-2WT+T Graf Schwerin-Löwitz.
Undergoing overhaul, restoration or light work
- BaldwinBaldwin Locomotive WorksThe Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
pacific4-6-24-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
No.23. Undergoing a rebuild in the railways workshops.