Locomotives

• Ajax (1838 - 1840)

This rather distinctive locomotive had plate 10ft wheels instead of the more usual spoked ones, the carrying wheels being 5ft. The 14in × 20in cylinders were fed from a doubled-domed boiler. It was named after Ajax

Ajax (mythology)

Ajax or Aias was a mythological Greek hero, the son of Telamon and Periboea and king of Salamis. He plays an important role in Homer's Iliad and in the Epic Cycle, a series of epic poems about the Trojan War. To distinguish him from Ajax, son of Oileus , he is called "Telamonian Ajax," "Greater...

, a hero in Greek mythology.

• Ariel (1838 - 1840)

This locomotive was the second of the Mather, Dixon locomotives to arrive and featured 14in × 14in cylinders. Ariel

Ariel

Ariel may refer to:-Film:*Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award*Ariel , a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki-People:*Ariel , any of several real or fictional people of that name...

 is, amongst other things, an angel

Ariel (angel)

Ariel is an archangel found primarily in Jewish and Christian mysticism and Apocrypha. Generally presented as an authority over the Earth and its elements, Ariel has also been called an angel of healing, wrath & creation....

 and a fairy in William Shakespeare's The Tempest.

• Mars (1840 - 1840)

This locomotive was built with 10ft wheels, but did not enter service until they had been changed to 8ft ones. The cylinders were 16in × 20in. It was not successful, being delivered in April 1840 and withdrawn in December. It was named after Mars

Mars (mythology)

Mars was the Roman god of war and also an agricultural guardian, a combination characteristic of early Rome. He was second in importance only to Jupiter, and he was the most prominent of the military gods worshipped by the Roman legions...

, the Roman god of war; the name was later carried by one of the 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....

 standard goods locomotives.

• Mercury (1839 - 1843)

This locomotive was delivered in December 1838 but not accepted into service until 26 September 1839. It had 8ft driving wheels and 16in × 20in cylinders. It was named after Mercury

Mercury (mythology)

Mercury was a messenger who wore winged sandals, and a god of trade, the son of Maia Maiestas and Jupiter in Roman mythology. His name is related to the Latin word merx , mercari , and merces...

, a Roman god; the name was later carried by one of the 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....

 standard goods locomotives.

• Planet (1839 - 1840)

This locomotive was built to similar dimensions to Planet and also arrived in December 1838 before being put to work in August 1839. After withdrawal it was used as a stationary boiler at Reading

Reading, Berkshire

Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....

. The planet

Planet

A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...

s at this time were all named after mythological gods.

• Premier (1837 - 1840)

This locomotive, along with Charles Tayleur's Vulcan

GWR Charles Tayleur locomotives

The first 19 locomotives ordered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Railway included six 2-2-2 Charles Tayleur locomotives. They were built by Charles Tayleur at his Vulcan Foundry but were unsuccessful and rapidly supplemented by the Star Class locomotives ordered by Daniel Gooch...

was delivered by canal to West Drayton

West Drayton railway station

West Drayton railway station is a railway station serving West Drayton, a western suburb of London, England. The station is served by local services operated by First Great Western from to stations.-History:...

 on 25 November 1837. It had 14½in × 14½in cylinders. The name, which means "first", was later used on the first locomotive built at Swindon, the first of the Premier Class

GWR Premier Class

The Great Western Railway Premier Class 0-6-0 broad gauge steam locomotives for goods train work. This class was introduced into service between February 1846 and May 1847, and withdrawn between March 1866 and June 1872....

goods locomotives.