South Devon Railway locomotive Taurus
Encyclopedia
Taurus was an 0-6-0
saddle tank broad gauge
locomotive operated by the South Devon Railway
.
It was a very different locomotive to all the other 0-6-0s used on the South Devon Railway. It was much smaller and was normally used on one of the branches, where it would regularly work passenger trains, or on the dockside lines in the Plymouth
area. It was built by the Avonside Engine Company
and was a saddle tank similar to 2-4-0 Prince.
On 1 February 1876 the South Devon Railway was amalgamated with the Great Western Railway, all its locomotives were given numbers by their new owners but continued to carry their names too. After the gauge conversion
on 21 May 1892Taurus was unused for a while but in 1894 it was converted to standard gauge and worked in this form as no. 1326 until 1905.
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
saddle tank broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
locomotive operated by the South Devon Railway
South Devon Railway Company
The South Devon Railway Company built and operated the railway from Exeter to Plymouth and Torquay in Devon, England. It was a broad gauge railway built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel-Chronology:* 1844 South Devon Railway Act passed by parliament...
.
It was a very different locomotive to all the other 0-6-0s used on the South Devon Railway. It was much smaller and was normally used on one of the branches, where it would regularly work passenger trains, or on the dockside lines in the Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
area. It was built by the Avonside Engine Company
Avonside Engine Company
The Avonside Engine Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Avon Street, St. Philip's, Bristol, England between 1864 and 1934. However the business originated with an earlier enterprise Henry Stothert and Company.-Origins:...
and was a saddle tank similar to 2-4-0 Prince.
On 1 February 1876 the South Devon Railway was amalgamated with the Great Western Railway, all its locomotives were given numbers by their new owners but continued to carry their names too. After the gauge conversion
Gauge conversion
In rail transport, gauge conversion is the process of converting a railway from one rail gauge to another, through the alteration of the railway tracks...
on 21 May 1892Taurus was unused for a while but in 1894 it was converted to standard gauge and worked in this form as no. 1326 until 1905.
Locomotive
- Taurus (1869 – 1892) GWR no. 2137
- The name comes from the Greek word for bull and represents a constellation. See Taurus (constellation)Taurus (constellation)Taurus is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is a Latin word meaning 'bull', and its astrological symbol is a stylized bull's head:...
.