List of Vale of Rheidol Railway rolling stock

This is a list of past and present rolling stock used on the Vale of Rheidol Railway (), a narrow gauge heritage railway, opened in 1902, that runs for between Aberystwyth and Devil's Bridge in the county of Ceredigion, Wales.Johnson 1999, page 15

The railway was later operated by the Cambrian Railways, Great Western Railway and British Rail before being privatised in 1989 and run as a heritage railway operation (though arguably it had operated as a tourist railway operation since the mid-1930s, when the GWR withdrew freight services and winter passenger services, rendering the railway wholly reliant on the tourist trade).

When first opened, the railway owned two steam locomotives, No 1 Edward VII and No 2 Prince of Wales,Green 1986, pages 177 - 187 along with a third contractor's locomotive No 3 Rheidol.Green 1986, page 204 In 1922 the Great Western Railway took over the running of the line and over the next two decades invested heavily in new locomotives and replacement rolling stock.Green 1986, page 188

Locomotives

Steam locomotives

The railway has four steam locomotives for use on passenger trains, three of which were built for the Vale of Rheidol line and have operated on the line ever since.

A Garratt locomotive arrived in 2017 for use on passenger trains and is not prototypical for the line historically.

ImageNumberNameBuilderWheel arr.Year builtNotesIn traffic?7Owain GlyndŵrGreat Western Railway1923Hauled the last steam service under British Rail ownership of the line. Withdrawn from traffic in 1997 pending overhaul. Returned to service in October 2018. Carries British Railways Lined Green Livery.In Traffic8LlywelynGreat Western Railway1923Carries British Railways black livery with 'cycling lion' emblems and 'Llywelyn' nameplates.In Traffic9 (1213)Prince of WalesGreat Western Railway1924Numbered 1213 from delivery until gaining the No 9 in 1948.Green 1986, page 192 Put through Swindon works as an overhaul of the original No 2, but is in fact a complete new locomotive.Green 1986, page 189 Carries British Rail Lined Blue Livery.In Traffic60DrakensbergHanomag1927NG G13 Garratt locomotive. Arrived at the railway from Schinznacher Baumschulbahn, Switzerland in 2017, and has since undergone overhaul, including the fitting of air brakes. Entered passenger service in 2022.In Traffic

Diesel locomotives

The steam locomotive fleet is today supplemented by a number of diesel locomotives. Although they lack the power of the steam locomotives, they are available for shunting duties or works trains. No 10 can also operate light passenger trains.Vale of Rheidol Railway Guidebook, 2016, page 13

ImageNumberNameWorks numberBuilderWheel arr.Year builtNotesIn traffic?10-BMR002Baguley-Drewry / Brecon Mountain Railway1987Built out of parts from Baguley-Drewry engineeringIn Traffic11-DM1366Hudswell Clarke1965Built for National Coal Board. Rebuilt at Bredgar and Wormshill Railway in 2012 and named Wormshill. Acquired by Vale of Rheidol in 2021 In TrafficNG 52- 721Andrew Barclay1987Built for Ministry of Defence. Previously at Eastriggs.In Traffic - Works Use OnlyRPM No. 9- 3124W. G. Bagnall1957Built for Rustenburg Platinum Mines, South Africa.Under Overhaul

Self propelled engineering plant

The railway has a number of vehicles for permanent way maintenance.

ImageWorks NumberNameBuilderWheel arr.Year builtNotesIn Traffic?DX68804Thunderbird 4Permaquip2w-2DMR1985This light vehicle conveys a team of staff in comfort along with all the tools and equipment required for maintenance work. The vehicle can also be rotated through 180 degrees by means of a hydraulic lift, allowing the P-Way team to turn it so that the cab is always at the front when in motion.Vale of Rheidol Guidebook 2016, page 24In TrafficUGT1-Plasser1986Plasserail ballast tamper, built in South Africa and moved to the Vale of Rheidol Railway in 1991.Vale of Rheidol Guidebook, 2016, page 24In Traffic7495-Hunslet / Aberystwyth Locomotive Works1977. Rebuilt 2007Rail mounted self-propelled vehicle used to clear lineside vegetation. Designed by Llŷr ap Iolo and built from chassis components from ex MOD Hunslet 4w diesel locomotive No 7495, originally built 1977 2'6" gauge. The McConnel flail head has a purpose built turntable and has a reach of 15 feet and a maximum speed of 7.5 mph.Vale of Rheidol Railway Guidebook, 2016, page 17In Traffic

Former locomotives ImageNumberNameBuilderWheelYear builtNotes1Edward VIIDavies & Metcalfe1902Re-numbered 1212 in 1922. Overhauled by the GWR in 1925 and gained traditional Swindon fittings. Saw very little use following the arrival of the 3 new locomotives. In 1932 1212 moved to Swindon works The official withdrawal date is given as 9 March 1935. It was scrapped shortly afterwards.Green, 1986, page 1872Prince of WalesDavies & Metcalfe1902Renumbered 1213 in 1922. Sent to Swindon works in 1924 and scrapped. The number was immediately re-used for the new locomotive 1213 (now No 9) as part of the pretence of a heavy overhaul of the original locomotive. 3RheidolBagnall1896Renumbered 1198 by the GWR in 1923 but withdrawn and scrapped the following year, having never carried its GWR number.Green, 1986, pages 204-2054131Wickham Trolley1947Withdrawn in 1985 with the arrival of the Permaquip personnel carrier. Now at the Moseley Railway Trust, Apedale Railway. Also carried the numbers B146, B146W, PWM2214, TR26 and DX68061

No 1, & No 2 (later 1212 & 1213) The VoR commenced operations with two locomotives constructed by Davies & Metcalfe of Manchester, Nos.1 and 2. These locomotives were given Nos.1212 and 1213 by the GWR when it took over the line on grouping. They were Davies and Metcalfe's first locomotives and a Great Central Railway boilersmith, Thomas Kay, provided expertise in their construction. The contract was given to a company previously inexperienced in locomotive building (although previously they were involved in the repair of locomotives and made injectors) because Mr. Metcalfe was an Aberystwyth man. The design draws inspiration from the Manning Wardle s on the then-newly opened Lynton and Barnstaple Railway, to which they bear some resemblance. This may be because the Szlumper family was heavily involved in both railways' design and construction.

No 3 (later 1198)

No. 3 was a one-off small locomotive, originally built by Bagnall of Stafford for a Brazilian sugar cane plantation in 1896 but never delivered as the order was cancelled, Bagnall regauging the locomotive from to when it was sold to the Plynlimon and Hafan Tramway and named Talybont. In 1903, after the failure of the Plynlimon and Hafan, it was purchased by the VoR, regauged to and renamed Rheidol. The GWR numbered it 1198 in 1923, but it was withdrawn and scrapped the following year, having never carried its GWR number.

No 4

In 1902 the railway's Directors temporarily hired a locomotive from the Ffestiniog Railway. The locomotive sent was Ffestiniog No 4 Palmerston. The following year VoR locomotive No 3 Rheidol was acquired (see entry above), but a need for a fourth locomotive was still discerned. Palmerston No 4 was therefore hired again from Ffestiniog, and became the regular fourth locomotive for the next twenty years, being hired for several long periods, interspersed with brief home visits to Ffestiniog. The locomotive carried fleet number '4' in reference to its position on its home railway, although the number also matched its position on the Vale of Rheidol, as the fourth locomotive. When the line was acquired by the Great Western Railway, the leased locomotive was no longer required and was returned to Ffestiniog (from where it was immediately re-hired to the Welsh Highland Railway, to assist with construction). Palmerston (an ) was built in 1864 by George England of New Cross, the fourth of the original four Ffestiniog Railway locomotivesSee entry at this location for details. and was named after the Prime Minister, Viscount Palmerston. Palmerston returned to the Vale of Rheidol in 2014, hauling a series of special trains during September to celebrate its association with the VoR, and to commemorate both a century of history since the first world war, and 25 years of VoR independent operation.See BBC report.Details at Rail.co.uk website.

Coaching stock

Current coaching stock

The Vale of Rheidol Railway has a total of 16 carriages and 1 brake van. All were built by the Great Western Railway at Swindon to replace much older rolling stock built by the Midland Railway Carriage and Wagon Company for the opening of the line. Twelve bogie carriages were built for the opening.

All the stock is third class only, unless otherwise stated. All currently carry both their GWR numbers (on carriage sides) and also their VoR numbers (on the carriages ends).

ImageGWR No.BR No. (1948)BR No. (1987)VoR No. (1989)Year builtBuilderTypeLiveryNotes4143M4143W414311938SwindonFully Enclosed ThirdChocolate and Cream with GWR Garter CrestIn Traffic4144M4144W414421938SwindonFully Enclosed ThirdBritish Railways Carmine and CreamIn Traffic4145M4145W414531938SwindonFully Enclosed ThirdChocolate and Cream with GWR Garter CrestIn Traffic4146M4146W414641938SwindonFully Enclosed ThirdChocolate and Cream with GWR Shirt ButtonIn Traffic4147M4147W414751938SwindonFully Enclosed ThirdChocolate and Cream with GWR Garter CrestIn Traffic4148M4148W414861938SwindonFully Enclosed ThirdBritish Railways Carmine and CreamIn Traffic4149M4149W414971938SwindonOpen Third "Summer Car"Chocolate and Cream with GWR Garter CrestIn Traffic4150M4150W415081938SwindonOpen Third "Summer Car"British Railways Crimson and CreamIn Traffic4151M4151W415191938SwindonOpen Third "Summer Car"Chocolate and Cream with GWR Garter CrestIn Traffic4994M4994W4734101938SwindonFully Enclosed ThirdBritish Railways Carmine and CreamIn Traffic4995M4995W4735111938SwindonBrake / First Observation Chocolate and Cream with GWR Garter CrestIn Traffic4996M4996W4736121938SwindonBrake / First Observation British Railways Carmine and CreamIn Traffic4997M4997W4737131923SwindonOpen Third "Summer Car"British Railways Carmine and CreamIn Traffic4998M4998W4738141923SwindonOpen Third "Summer Car"British Railways Carmine and CreamIn Traffic4999M4999W4739151923SwindonOpen Third "Summer Car" - Converted to "Vista Car" in 1985. Out of traffic since approx 1990. Returned to traffic in 2018 as a wheelchair accessible carriage.Chocolate and Cream with GWR Garter CrestIn Traffic5000M5000W4740161923SwindonOpen Third "Summer Car"Bodywork removed. Out of traffic since approx 1990.Stored 137191938SwindonFour-wheeled full brake. Constructed new 1938 Phillips et al, 2021, page 226-231GWR Shirt ButtonIn Traffic

Former coaching stock

ImageGWR No.VoR No.Year builtBuilderTypeNotes135171938SwindonFour-wheeled full brakeConstructed new in 1938.Phillips et al, 2021, page 226-231 Scrapped in 1968.Green, 1986, page 219136181938SwindonFour-wheeled full brakeConstructed new in 1938.Phillips et al, 2021, page 226-231 Sold to the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway in 1968.

Wagon Fleet

The railway has a number of wagons used for freight / engineering work.