1338 Cardiff Railway 0-4-0ST

Power Classification	0F
Introduced	1898
Designer	Kitson & Co
Company	Cardiff Railway
Weight	25t 10cwt
Driving Wheels	3ft 2.5in
Boiler Pressure	160psi
Cylinders	Outside – 14ins x 21in
Tractive Effort	14,540lbf
Valve Gear	Hawthorn Kitson

The Cardiff Railway was owned by the Marquis of Bute and was the smallest railway absorbed into the Great Western in 1923. It operated a ‘main line’ of 11 and a half miles connecting to the Taff Vale railway (also absorbed into the GWR in 1923) and 120 miles of dock and colliery sidings. It owned only tank locomotives of various sizes. Two locomotives of this class were built with one of them being scrapped in 1934.

This little engine was built as Cardiff Railway No. 5 in 1898 by Kitsons of Leeds (works number 3799), to replace an older No. 5. It was fitted with Hawthorn Kitson valve gear with a link above the running plate instead of below. No coal bunker was fitted.

With its twin, No. 6, it was inherited by the GWR in 1923, who-renumbered them 1338 and 1339. 1339 was cut up in 1934, but 1338 remained, initially in store but then loaned to Stewarts & Lloyds Ltd of Swansea during the Second World War.

1338 returned to GWR ownership in 1943 when it was employed on dock shunting duties at Bridgwater docks.

At the time of nationalisation of the railways in January 1948 the locomotive was still based at Bridgwater but it was officially transferred to Taunton depot in May 1953 although it continued to work at at Bridgwater docks. In June 1960 it was allocated to Swansea East Dock. From there it was finally withdrawn in September 1963, becoming the last withdrawal of all standard gauge locomotives absorbed into the GWR. It ran 354,000 miles in GWR and BR service, a huge mileage for such a small engine

Preservation

In April 1964, 1338 was saved from scrapping and moved to behind the up platform at Bleadon & Uphill (Somerset) station, where it could be detected amongst the bushes from passing expresses.

This became the Somerset Railway Museum.

The lease on the station buildings expired in 1985 and the museum closed.

In 1987 it was brought to Didcot, and was restored to working order, though the boiler certificate has now expired and the locomotive is on display in non-working condition.