GWR Caesar Class
Encyclopedia
The Great Western Railway
Caesar Class 0-6-0
broad gauge
steam locomotive
s. They were designed by Daniel Gooch
for goods train work. This class was introduced into service between June 1851 and February 1852, and withdrawn between June 1871 and June 1880.
From about 1865, the Caesar Class was expanded to include locomotives formerly known as Ariadne Class
, Caliph Class, or GWR Pyracmon Class
.
The names of the locomotives were generally taken from classical sources
.
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
Caesar Class 0-6-0
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...
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 :...
steam locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s. They were designed by Daniel Gooch
Daniel Gooch
Sir Daniel Gooch, 1st Baronet was an English railway and transatlantic cable engineer and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1865 to 1885...
for goods train work. This class was introduced into service between June 1851 and February 1852, and withdrawn between June 1871 and June 1880.
From about 1865, the Caesar Class was expanded to include locomotives formerly known as Ariadne Class
GWR Ariadne Class
The Great Western Railway Ariadne Class and Caliph class were broad gauge 0-6-0 steam locomotives designed for goods train work by Daniel Gooch and often referred to as his Standard Goods locomotives....
, Caliph Class, or GWR Pyracmon Class
GWR Pyracmon Class
The Great Western Railway Pyracmon Class 0-6-0 broad gauge steam locomotives for goods train work. This class was introduced into service between November 1847 and April 1848, and withdrawn between August 1871 and December 1873...
.
The names of the locomotives were generally taken from classical sources
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
.
Locomotives
- Caesar (1851 - 1880)
- CaesarCaesar (title)Caesar is a title of imperial character. It derives from the cognomen of Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator...
was the title used to denote a Roman emperor.- Dido (1851 - 1872)
- This locomotive was named after Dido, the first queen of CarthageCarthageCarthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
.- Druid
- A druidDruidA druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age....
was a priest in Celtic Britain.- Florence (1851 - 1874)
- The name Florence was probably picked to represent the FlorenceFlorenceFlorence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, an Italian city.- Hero (1851 - 1871)
- The name Hero continued the classical theme, see HeroHeroA hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
.- Nora Creina (1851 - 1872)
- Thomas MooreThomas MooreThomas Moore was an Irish poet, singer, songwriter, and entertainer, now best remembered for the lyrics of The Minstrel Boy and The Last Rose of Summer. He was responsible, with John Murray, for burning Lord Byron's memoirs after his death...
's muse in his poem Lesbia has a beaming eye.- Thunderer (1851 - 1874)
- This was the second time that the Great Western railway had chosen to name a locomotive Thunderer, the first locomotive being one of Brunel's FreaksGWR Thunderer locomotiveThunderer was the first of a pair of locomotives built for the Great Western Railway , England, by R. & W. Hawthorn & Co. whose design was very different from other steam locomotives. In order to meet Isambard Kingdom Brunel's strict specifications, an 0-4-0 frame carried the 'engine', while the...
. See ThunderThunderThunder is the sound made by lightning. Depending on the nature of the lightning and distance of the listener, thunder can range from a sharp, loud crack to a long, low rumble . The sudden increase in pressure and temperature from lightning produces rapid expansion of the air surrounding and within...
for the derivation of the name, which was probably chosen to conveyed a feeling of power.- Volcano (1851 - 1874)
- This locomotive was given a name that expressed great power, volcanoVolcano2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
being an erupting mountain.