Power type Steam Serial number 25–26 Total produced 2 | Build date 1838 | |
Configuration 2-2-22-2-2T (after rebuild) |
The first 19 locomotives ordered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Railway included two unusual Haigh Foundry locomotives.
Snake and Viper were built at the Haigh Foundry in 1838 with 14.75-by-18-inch (375 mm × 457 mm) cylinders and the driving wheels geared 2:3 in order to keep the cylinder stroke speed low while allowing high track speed, in line with Brunel's specifications. Within a couple of years they had been rebuilt with 13 in × 18 in (330 mm × 457 mm) and conventional drive. They were later converted to 2-2-2T tank locomotives, possibly when they were sent to work the South Devon Railway, and at some time fitted with 6 ft 0 in (1,829 mm) driving wheels and 15 in × 18 in (381 mm × 457 mm) cylinders.
Names
References
GWR Haigh Foundry locomotives Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA