The Port Talbot Railway No. 26 (later GWR No. 813) is a diminutive 0-6-0ST saddle tank steam locomotive built by Hudswell Clarke in 1901 along with five other locomotives for the Port Talbot Railway (PTR). No. 26 was built for shunting in the sidings on the PTR’s network and for hauling coal trains to main line junctions.
By 1922, the Great Western Railway (GWR) had taken over the PTR and the then-No. 26 was sent to Swindon Works for an overhaul and was renumbered to GWR No. 813. Service under the GWR was brief however, as CME Charles Collett sought to standardize the fleet. After 11 years of service, No. 813 was sold to Robert Stephenson & Company in 1934 before being sold again to Backworth Colliery and re-numbered 12. The locomotive stayed at the colliery until it was acquired by the National Coal Board (NCB) in 1950 and was renumbered to 11. It received a new boiler from Hudswell Clarke in 1950, and a new firebox in 1962.
It was withdrawn from service in 1967 and was saved from scrap by the newly-formed GWR 813 Preservation Fund who had wanted to purchase the unique engine since the rest of its kind had already been scrapped. It was moved from Backworth Colliery the same year to the Severn Valley Railway (SVR). It was first cosmetically restored and displayed as a static exhibit at the Rail 150 Celebrations in 1975. Mechanical faults prevented the locomotive from being fully operational for over a decade, although it did run in steam on a few occasions in 1984 before being taken out of service again due to mechanical issues.
The trust fund got the locomotive fully operational in July 2000. After it was overhauled, from 2001 to 2009 the locomotive returned to traffic in 2015 becoming the oldest locomotive in operation on the SVR along with visiting several other heritage lines including Didcot, Dean Forest, Pontypool & Blaenavon, WSR, South Devon , Vale of Glamorgan, etc.
No. 26 now operates regularly on the SVR with its boiler ticket set to expire in 2026.
Gallery[]
