What was the operator of Brecon and Merthyr 0-6-2T locomotives from Jul 1922 to Dec 1947?
Brecon and Merthyr 0-6-2T locomotives Brecon and Merthyr 0-6-2T locomotives were steam tank locomotives of the Brecon and Merthyr Railway including classes 36 and 45 . The Brecon and Merthyr 36 was a class of 0-6-2T steam locomotive introduced into traffic in 1909 from a design by the Rhymney Railways engineer Hurry Riches . There were initially four locos in the class augmented to eight in 1914 . They were built by Robert Stephenson and Company and were almost identical to the successful Rhymney Railway R class excepting a round-topped boiler . When rebuilt by the GWR they acquired GWR Belpaire boilers . The B & M also borrowed from the Rhymney Railway P class for six more engines in two batches of three in 1915 and 1920 loosely known as the 45 class . Overview of similar classes . In similar vein , the Neath and Brecon Railway used the Rhymney Railways Stephensons as a blueprint for three locomotives ( known as the Neath and Brecon Stephensons ) built in 1904 to the design of the Rhymney Railway M class . The Rhymney Railway R class and related 1904-introduced Rhymney Railway M class and 1910 Rhymney Railway A class were successful designs ideally suited to hauling heavy coal trains a relatively short distance . In 1924 , Nos 36 & 38 were reboilered by the GWR and in this form were visually almost indistinguishable from the GWR 5600 Class . All but two of the fourteen B & M Stephensons were eventually rebuilt , the last as late as 1947 . Thus the 36 ( and larger wheeled 45 class ) were designed for work on the Brecon and Merthyr , replacing smaller locomotives . When the smaller railway companies were forcibly merged into the GWR , these 0-6-2Ts were in generally good order and had proved successful . Collectively the sixty-five various permutations of the Rhymney Stephensons became the blueprint for the 200 strong 56xx class . The design of the 56xx followed the Rhymney/Brecon and Merthyr/Neath and Brecon designs quite closely , but adopted GWR practice as far as possible , by utilising many standardized parts . Included in Colletts innovations was a standard number 2 boiler which was suitable for the 5600 ( and the M and R class Rhymney locomotives and the B & M 36 class ) , complete with the traditional copper GWR safety valve casing and copper-capped chimney . Some Rhymney A and P classes were also rebuilt but used the slightly shorter standard number 10 boiler , also to good effect . These were substantial sized tank engines , and weighed 66tons ( 62 tons after rebuilding ) and were 36 8 in length . They had long lives , extended by the rebuilding . The first withdrawal was in 1947 and the last in 1954 . Dimensions . - B & M 36 class , see Rhymney Railway R class - B & M 45 class , see Rhymney Railway P class Welsh 0-6-2T types . The railways of South Wales seem to have had a particular liking for the 0-6-2T type . This was because the nature of the work they undertook demanded high adhesive weight , plenty of power with good braking ability , but no need for outright speed , nor large tanks or bunker as the distances from pit to port were short . These Welsh locomotives were taken over by the GWR at the grouping in 1923 and many including seventeen of the Rhymney A , M , P and Rs were rebuilt with GWR taper boilers . All the Rhymney Stephenson-derived locos passed into British Railways ( BR ) ownership in 1948 . Others included ( with some gaps in numbering ) : - Brecon and Merthyr Railway , BR numbers 431-436 - Cardiff Railway , BR number 155 - Rhymney Railway , BR numbers 35-83 - Taff Vale Railway , BR numbers 204-399 For further information on these pre-grouping locomotives see Locomotives of the Great Western Railway .