GWR Haigh Foundry locomotives

The first 19 locomotives ordered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Railway included two unusual Haigh Foundry locomotives.

GWR Snake and Viper
South Devon Railway Exe and Teign
Snake rebuilt as 2-2-2T locomotive ca. 1865
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderHaigh Foundry
Serial number25–26
Build date1838
Total produced2
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte2-2-2
2-2-2T (after rebuild)
Gauge7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm)
Leading dia.3 ft 5 in (1,041 mm)
Driver dia.6 ft 4 in (1,930 mm)
6 ft 0 in (1,829 mm) (after rebuild)
Trailing dia.3 ft 5 in (1,041 mm)
Wheelbase13 ft 0 in (3.96 m)
Cylinder size14.75 in × 18 in (375 mm × 457 mm)
13 in × 18 in (330 mm × 457 mm) (first rebuild)
15 in × 18 in (381 mm × 457 mm) (second rebuild)
Career
OperatorsGreat Western Railway
South Devon Railway
Number in class2
Withdrawn1868-1869
DispositionUnknown, probably scrapped

Snake and Viper were built at the Haigh Foundry and delivered in September 1838. They had 14.75 in × 18 in (375 mm × 457 mm) cylinders and the driving wheels geared 2:3 to keep the cylinder stroke speed low while allowing high track speed, in line with Brunel's specifications. The boiler had a diameter of 39 in (991 mm) and was 9 ft (2,743 mm) long.[1] Both locomotives became only really useful after modifications in the years 1839 till 1840 they had been rebuilt with 13 in × 18 in (330 mm × 457 mm) and conventional drive. Most probably they received their 6 ft (1,829 mm) driving wheels at the same time. They were later converted to 2-2-2T tank locomotives, possibly when they were sent to work the South Devon Railway in 1846, where they got the names Exe and Teign. The locomotives returned 1851. Snake operated till November 1869, Viper till January 1868. The boiler of Viper was afterwards used as stationary boiler in Shrewsbury.[2]

Names
  • Snake (Haigh Foundry 25; 1838–1869)
Between 1846 and 1851 it carried a different name, Exe, while working on the South Devon Railway, after the River Exe; it reverted to Snake when it returned to the Great Western Railway.
  • Viper (Haigh Foundry 26; 1838–1868)
Between 1846 and 1851 it carried a different name, Teign, while working on the South Devon Railway, after the River Teign; it reverted to Viper when it returned to the Great Western Railway.

References
  1. The Railways of Great Britain and Ireland Practically Described and Illustrated , p. xvi, at Google Books
  2. Waters (1999), p. 20.

Sources
  • Reed, P. J. T. (February 1953). White, D. E. (ed.). The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway, Part 2: Broad Gauge. Kenilworth: RCTS. p. B11. ISBN 0-901115-32-0.
  • Waters, Laurence (1999). The Great Western Broad Gauge. Hersham: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0-7110-2634-3 – via Archive.org.
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