The

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 mill ...

Hawthorn Class were

broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union (CIS ...

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the loco ...

s for passenger train work. This class was introduced into service in 1865, a development of the Victoria Class. Twenty locomotives were ordered from Slaughter, Grüning and Company and given the names of famous engineers. The remaining six were built by the railway itself at Swindon and given names previously carried by the Firefly Class locomotives that they replaced. Withdrawals started in March 1876 but the following year ten were rebuilt as locomotives; the last survived until the end of the broad gauge on 21 May 1892.

Tender locomotives

* ''Acheron'' (1866 - 1887) :This locomotive was built by the Great Western Railway at Swindon. The name ''

Acheron The Acheron (; grc, Ἀχέρων ''Acheron'' or Ἀχερούσιος ''Acherousios''; ell, Αχέροντας ''Acherontas'') is a river located in the Epirus region of northwest Greece. It is long, and its drainage area is . Its source is ...

'' comes from a Greek river and had previously been carried by a Fire Fly Class locomotive. * ''Beyer'' (1865 - 1877) :Built by Slaughter, Grüning and Company. It was named after

Charles Beyer Charles Frederick Beyer (an anglicised form of his original German name Carl Friedrich Beyer) (14 May 1813 – 2 June 1876) was a celebrated German-British locomotive designer and builder, and co-founder of the Institution of Mechanical Engineer ...

, a founder partner in the

Beyer, Peacock and Company Beyer, Peacock and Company was an English railway locomotive manufacturer with a factory in Openshaw, Manchester. Founded by Charles Beyer, Richard Peacock and Henry Robertson, it traded from 1854 until 1966. The company exported locomotives, a ...

locomotive manufacturing firm. * ''Blenkensop'' (1865 - 1892) :Built by Slaughter, Grüning and Company, this locomotive was named after

John Blenkinsop John Blenkinsop (1783 – 22 January 1831) was an English mining engineer and an inventor of steam locomotives, who designed the first practical railway locomotive. He was born in Felling, County Durham, the son of a stonemason and was app ...

, a mining engineer and pioneer of railway locomotives. * ''Bury'' (1865 - 1877) :Built by Slaughter, Grüning and Company. This locomotive was named after Edward Bury of Bury, Curtis, and Kennedy. * ''Cerberus'' (1866 - 1877) :This locomotive was built at Swindon. Cerebus was a character in

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities of ...

and the name had previously been carried by a Fire Fly Class locomotive. * ''Dewrance'' (1865 - 1892) :Built by the Slaughter, Grüning and Company, it was named after

John Dewrance Sir John Dewrance GBE FKC (13 March 18587 October 1937) was a British inventor and mechanical engineer. Early life John Dewrance was born in 1858 at Peckham, London, the only son of pioneering locomotive engineer John Dewrance and his wif ...

, an early railway engineer. * ''Fenton'' (1865 - 1892) :Built by Slaughter, Grüning and Company. This locomotive was named after James Fenton of

Fenton, Murray and Jackson Fenton, Murray and Jackson was an engineering company at the Round Foundry off Water Lane in Holbeck, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Fenton, Murray and Wood Fenton Murray and Wood was founded in the 1790s by ironfounder Matthew Murray and ...

. * ''Foster'' (1865 - 1876) :Built by Slaughter, Grüning and Company, it was probably named after James Foster of Foster, Rastrick and Company. * ''Gooch'' (1865 - 1892) :Built by Slaughter, Grüning and Company, this locomotive was named after

Daniel Gooch Sir Daniel Gooch, 1st Baronet (24 August 1816 – 15 October 1889) was an English railway locomotive and transatlantic cable engineer. He was the first Locomotive Superintendent, Superintendent of Locomotive Engines on the Great Western Rai ...

, the first locomotive engineer of the Great Western Railway. * ''Hackworth'' (1865 - 1892) :Built by Slaughter, Grüning and Company, This locomotive was named after

Timothy Hackworth Timothy Hackworth (22 December 1786 – 7 July 1850) was an English steam locomotive engineer who lived in Shildon, County Durham, England and was the first locomotive superintendent of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Youth and early wor ...

, a famous engineer. * ''Hawk'' (1865 - 1892) :This locomotive was built at Swindon. A

hawk Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica. * The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. This subfa ...

is a kind of bird of prey; the name was later carried by a Fire Fly Class locomotive. * ''Hawthorn'' (1865 - 1876) :Built by Slaughter, Grüning and Company, it was named for the founder of R and W Hawthorn and Company * ''Hedley'' (1865 - 1877) :Built by Slaughter, Grüning and Company, it was probably named after William Hedley, one of the pioneers of the steam locomotive. * ''John Gray'' (1865 - 1876) :Built by Slaughter, Grüning and Company, named after John Gray, the engineer of the London and Brighton Railway. * ''Melling'' (1865 - 1877) :Built by Slaughter, Grüning and Company, it was probably named after Richard Melling, a canal engineer. * ''Murdoch'' (1865 - 1892) :Built by Slaughter, Grüning and Company. This locomotive was named after

William Murdoch William Murdoch (sometimes spelled Murdock) (21 August 1754 – 15 November 1839) was a Scottish engineer and inventor. Murdoch was employed by the firm of Boulton & Watt and worked for them in Cornwall, as a steam engine erector for ten yea ...

. * ''Ostrich'' (1865 - 1877) :This locomotive was built at Swindon. An

ostrich Ostriches are large flightless birds of the genus ''Struthio'' in the order Struthioniformes, part of the infra-class Palaeognathae, a diverse group of flightless birds also known as ratites that includes the emus, rheas, and kiwis. There a ...

is a large flightless bird; the name had previously been carried by a Fire Fly Class locomotive. * ''Peacock'' (1866 - 1875) :This locomotive was built by the

Avonside Engine Company The Avonside Engine Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Avon Street, St Philip's Marsh, St. Philip's, Bristol, England between 1864 and 1934. However the business originated with an earlier enterprise Henry Stothert and Company. Origins The ...

. This locomotive was named after Richard Peacock, a founder partner in the

locomotive manufacturing firm. * ''Penn'' (1866 - 1877) :This locomotive was built by the Avonside Engine Company and named after John Penn, who served two terms as a president of the

Institution of Mechanical Engineers The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) is an independent professional association and learned society headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that represents mechanical engineers and the engineering profession. With over 120,000 membe ...

. * ''Phlegethon'' (1866 - 1887) :This locomotive was built at Swindon. Phlegethon was one of the five rivers of the Greek underworld and the name had previously been carried by a Fire Fly Class locomotive. * ''Pollux'' (1866 - 1877) :This locomotive was built at Swindon. Pollux was the twin of Castor in Greek mythology; the name had previously been carried on a Fire Fly Class locomotive. * ''Roberts'' (1865 - 1877) :Built by Slaughter, Grüning and Company. It was named after Richard Roberts of Sharp, Roberts and Company *''Sharp'' (1866 - 1887) :This locomotive was built by the Avonside Engine Company, it was named after Thomas Sharp of

Sharp Stewart and Company Sharp, Stewart and Company was a steam locomotive manufacturer, initially located in Manchester, England. The company was formed in 1843 upon the demise of Sharp, Roberts & Co.. It moved to Glasgow, Scotland, in 1888, eventually amalgamating ...

. * ''Slaughter'' (1865 - 1892) :Built by Slaughter, Grüning and Company, this locomotive was initially named after Edward Slaughter one of its partners, but was soon renamed ''Avonside'' when the business changed its name to become the Avonside Engine Company. * ''Stewart'' (1866 - 1877) :This locomotive was built by the Avonside Engine Company, and named after Charles Stewart of

. * ''Wood'' (1866 - 1892) :This locomotive was built by the Avonside Engine Company. It was probably named after Frederick Wood, a railway engineer.

Tank locomotives

* ''Beyer'' (1877 - 1887) * ''Bury'' (1877 - 1892) * ''Cerberus'' (1877 - 1892) * ''Hedley'' (1877 - 1892) :After withdrawal, ''Hedley'' was used as a stationary boiler at Conwil Quarry from 1893, then was moved to

Neath Neath (; cy, Castell-nedd) is a market town and community situated in the Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a population of 19,258 in 2011. Historica ...

in 1905. It ceased work in 1914 but was not cut up - at Swindon - until 1929. * ''Melling'' (1877 - 1892) * ''Ostrich'' (1877 - 1892) * ''Penn'' (1877 - 1892) * ''Pollux'' (1877 - 1892) * ''Roberts'' (1877 - 1892) * ''Stewart'' (1877 - 1892) :This locomotive worked the last

train on the Falmouth branch on 20 May 1892, in company with '' Vulcan''.

References

* * * {{GWR Locomotives Hawthorn 2-4-0 locomotives 2-4-0T locomotives Avonside locomotives Broad gauge (7 feet) railway locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1865