South Devon Railway Eagle class
Encyclopedia
The Eagle class were sixteen 4-4-0
saddle tank broad gauge
locomotives operated on the South Devon Railway
, Cornwall Railway
and associated adjacent railways. They were designed for passenger trains on this steep and sharply curved line but were also used on goods trains when required.
They were ordered by Evans, Walker and Gooch who were contracted to operate the locomotives for both the railways. They were designed by Daniel Gooch
a development of his earlier Comet class with slightly smaller wheels and larger tanks containing 1,100 gallons, a 37.5% increase, and built by Stothert, Slaughter, Grunning and Company
.
From 1 July 1866 the locomotives were bought by the South Devon Railway, after which they were operated as a combined fleet over both railways, but they continued to be accounted to their original owner. On 1 February 1876 the South Devon Railway was amalgamated with the Great Western Railway, the locomotives were given numbers by their new owners but continued to carry their names too.
4-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels...
saddle tank 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 :...
locomotives operated on the South Devon Railway
South Devon Railway Company
The South Devon Railway Company built and operated the railway from Exeter to Plymouth and Torquay in Devon, England. It was a broad gauge railway built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel-Chronology:* 1844 South Devon Railway Act passed by parliament...
, Cornwall Railway
Cornwall Railway
The Cornwall Railway was a broad gauge railway from Plymouth in Devon to Falmouth in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The section from Plymouth to Truro opened in 1859, the extension to Falmouth in 1863...
and associated adjacent railways. They were designed for passenger trains on this steep and sharply curved line but were also used on goods trains when required.
They were ordered by Evans, Walker and Gooch who were contracted to operate the locomotives for both the railways. 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...
a development of his earlier Comet class with slightly smaller wheels and larger tanks containing 1,100 gallons, a 37.5% increase, and built by Stothert, Slaughter, Grunning and Company
Avonside Engine Company
The Avonside Engine Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Avon Street, St. Philip's, Bristol, England between 1864 and 1934. However the business originated with an earlier enterprise Henry Stothert and Company.-Origins:...
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From 1 July 1866 the locomotives were bought by the South Devon Railway, after which they were operated as a combined fleet over both railways, but they continued to be accounted to their original owner. On 1 February 1876 the South Devon Railway was amalgamated with the Great Western Railway, the locomotives were given numbers by their new owners but continued to carry their names too.
South Devon Railway
- Antelope (1859 – 1884) GWR no. 2114
- Named after the swift animal, antelopeAntelopeAntelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
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- Dart (1863 – 1885) GWR no. 2119
- Dart hauled the first train on the Launceston and South Devon Railway on 1 June 1865 with Giraffe.
- The locomotive was named after the dartDart (missile)Darts are missile weapons, designed to fly such that a sharp, often weighted point will strike first. They can be distinguished from javelins by fletching and a shaft that is shorter and/or more flexible, and from arrows by the fact that they are not of the right length to use with a normal...
missile.
- Giraffe (1859 – 1877) GWR no. 2112
- Giraffe hauled the first train on the Launceston and South Devon Railway on 1 June 1865 with Dart.
- The locomotive was named after the animal, giraffeGiraffeThe giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
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- Hawk (1859 – 1886) GWR no. 2108
- Named after the bird of prey, hawkHawkThe term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
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- Hector (1860 – 1892) GWR no. 2117
- Named after the Greek mythological character, HectorHectorIn Greek mythology, Hectōr , or Hektōr, is a Trojan prince and the greatest fighter for Troy in the Trojan War. As the first-born son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba, a descendant of Dardanus, who lived under Mount Ida, and of Tros, the founder of Troy, he was a prince of the royal house and the...
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- Lion (1859 – 1883) GWR no. 2113
- Named after the powerful animal, lionLionThe lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
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- Tiger (1860 – 1884) GWR no. 2116
- Named after the powerful animal, tigerTigerThe tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
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Cornwall Railway
- Castor (1865 – 1882) GWR no. 2121
- Named after the Greek mythological character' CastorCastor and PolluxIn Greek and Roman mythology, Castor and Pollux or Polydeuces were twin brothers, together known as the Dioscuri . Their mother was Leda, but Castor was the mortal son of Tyndareus, king of Sparta, and Pollux the divine son of Zeus, who visited Leda in the guise of a swan...
, it had originally intended to be named Fal after the River FalRiver FalThe River Fal flows through Cornwall, United Kingdom, rising on the Goss Moor and reaching the English Channel at Falmouth. On or near the banks of the Fal are the castles of Pendennis and St Mawes as well as Trelissick Garden. The River Fal separates the Roseland peninsula from the rest of...
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- Cato (1863 – 1877) GWR no. 2118
- Cato was a name shared by many famous romans.
- Eagle (1859 – 1876) GWR no. 2106
- Named after the bird of prey, eagleEagleEagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
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- Elk (1859 – 1877) GWR no. 2107
- Just two days after the opening of the railwayElk was derailed near St GermansSt Germans railway stationSt Germans Station serves the village of St Germans in Cornwall, UK. The Station is operated by First Great Western and west of Plymouth.It is situated immediately west of the large St Germans viaduct.Both platforms have step-free entrances...
and fell off Grove viaduct with fatal consequences. - The locomotive was named after the animal, elkElkThe Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
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- Gazelle (1859 – 1865) GWR no. 2110
- Named after the swift animal, gazelleGazelleA gazelle is any of many antelope species in the genus Gazella, or formerly considered to belong to it. Six species are included in two genera, Eudorcas and Nanger, which were formerly considered subgenera...
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- Lynx (1859 – 1876) GWR no. 2109
- Named after the strong animal, lynxLynxA lynx is any of the four Lynx genus species of medium-sized wildcats. The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from Greek word "λύγξ", derived from the Indo-European root "*leuk-", meaning "light, brightness", in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes...
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- Mazeppa (1859 – 1885) GWR no. 2111
- Named after an epic poem, MazeppaMazeppa (Byron)This article is about the poem by Lord Byron, for other uses see MazeppaMazeppa is a Romantic narrative poem written by Lord Byron in 1819, based on a popular legend about the early life of Ivan Mazepa , a Ukrainian gentleman who later became Hetman of the Ukrainian Cossacks...
by Lord Byron.
- Pollux (1865 – 1892) GWR no. 2120
- Named after the Greek mythological character, PolluxCastor and PolluxIn Greek and Roman mythology, Castor and Pollux or Polydeuces were twin brothers, together known as the Dioscuri . Their mother was Leda, but Castor was the mortal son of Tyndareus, king of Sparta, and Pollux the divine son of Zeus, who visited Leda in the guise of a swan...
, it had originally been intended to be named Tamar after the River TamarRiver TamarThe Tamar is a river in South West England, that forms most of the border between Devon and Cornwall . It is one of several British rivers whose ancient name is assumed to be derived from a prehistoric river word apparently meaning "dark flowing" and which it shares with the River Thames.The...
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- Wolf (1859 – 1878) GWR no. 2115
- Named after the strong animal, wolf.