Taff Vale Railway A class
The Taff Vale Railway A class was a class of 0-6-2T steam tank locomotives designed by J. Cameron and introduced to the Taff Vale Railway in 1914. The A class was an enlarged version of the Taff Vale Railway O4 class designed by Tom Hurry Riches in 1907.
42 of the A class locomotives were rebuilt with taper boilers and superheaters by the Great Western Railway and vacuum brakes for passenger working in 1924. All 58 passed to British Railways in 1948, until the introduction of the BR 82xxx 2-6-2Ts in the mid-1950s, these engines were widely used on passenger workings in the South Wales Valleys.
Several were employed as Works Pilots in Swindon. The first loco withdrawn was 344 in November 1952 from Cardiff Cathays shed. The last seven locos 370, 373, 381, 383, 390, 398 and 402 were withdrawn together in August 1957 from Abercynon shed. None are preserved.
Builders and numbering
The locomotives were built in several batches by Hawthorn Leslie, Nasmyth, Wilson and Company, Vulcan Foundry and North British Locomotive Company. Their GWR/BR numbers were in the range 303-440 but they were not consecutive and were intermingled with other classes.| Year | Quantity | Manufacturer | Serial Numbers | TVR Numbers | GWR Numbers | Notes |
| 1914 | 6 | Hawthorn Leslie | 3057–3062 | 3, 7, 10, 11, 12, 120 | 438, 335, 337, 343, 344, 441 | 441 renumbered 322 in 1947, 438 renumbered 309 sometime between 1948 and 1950 |
| 1915 | 6 | North British Locomotive Co. | 21156–21161 | 42, 45, 52, 122, 123, 124 | 439, 346, 440, 352, 356, 357 | 439 and 440 renumbered 312 and 316 sometime between 1948 and 1950 |
| 1916 | 6 | Vulcan Foundry | 3178–3183 | 125, 127, 128, 129, 130, 132 | 360, 361, 362, 364, 365, 366 | |
| 1919 | 12 | Nasmyth, Wilson & Co. | 1269–1280 | 133, 135, 136, 138, 139, 140, 154, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160 | 367, 370, 371, 372, 373, 374, 377, 378, 379, 380, 381, 382 | |
| 1920 | 16 | Hawthorn Leslie | 3394–3409 | 20, 134, 144, 149, 162, 164, 165, 400 to 408 | 345, 368, 375, 376, 383 to 391, 393, 394, 397 | |
| 1921 | 5 | Hawthorn Leslie | 3410–3414 | 409 to 413 | 398, 399, 401 to 403 | 401 and 403 renumbered 303 and 305 in 1947, 402 renumbered 304 sometime between 1948 and 1950 |
| 1914 | 7 | Vulcan Foundry | 3492–3498 | 75, 80, 90, 91, 414 to 416 | 347 to 349, 351, 404, 406, 408 | 404, 406, and 408 renumbered 306 to 308 sometime between 1948 and 1950 |