RH&DR No. 5 Hercules

Hercules is a red/maroon 4-8-2 freelance "Mountain" type tender steam locomotive.
== History ==
Hercules was built in 1927 to a design by Henry Greenly by the Davey Paxman company for the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch railway. Hercules was ordered for ballistic traffic and was delivered to the railway on the 20th of April in 1927 and hauled the inaugural opening train on the 16th of July in the same year. Hercules was left basically derelict by the early 1930s as ballast traffic never reached the acceptable peaks to justify it and No.6's operation. The two mountain types also often got derailed on points and curves and were considered surplus to operations on the railway.https://www.rhdra.org/no-5-hercules/https://www.rhdr.org.uk/locomotives/https://www.rhdr.org.uk/locomotives/hercules/https://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=4980https://transportsofdelight.smugmug.com/RAILWAYS/BRITISH-NARROW-GAUGE-AND-MINIATURE-RAILWAYS/MINIATURE-RAILWAYS/ROMNEY-HYTHE-DYMCHURCH-RAILWAY/i-Lwj45r8
However in 1936 ballast traffic once more became viable for the railway to transport and Hercules was rebuilt to operate these trains and did so until the 1940s. During the second world war when the railway was commanded by the military (army), Hercules was chosen to be modified being fully armored and hauling defensive trains along the railway. After the war Hercules had it's armor removed and it returned to regular service. Hercules is currently out of traffic however she currently holds a GWR Hall whistle and is painted in a Midland Railway Maroon livery.
== Trivia ==
* Hercules is one of the most famous of the locomotives in the RH&DR fleet due to being used as the armored train during world war II by the army.
== Gallery ==
File:Hercules.png
File:1024px-Hercules at New Romney.jpg
File:Rhdr locomotive hercules 2.jpg
File:Rhdr locomotive hercules 1.jpg
File:Rhdr locomotive hercules.jpg
File:Loco-side-profile-hercules.jpg
File:RH^DR Engine No. 5 Hercules - geograph.org.uk - 2242273.jpg
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== Bibliography ==
Category:Locomotives
Category:Steam locomotives
Category:Tender locomotives
Category:4-8-2 locomotives
Category:4-8-2 steam locomotives
Category:Preserved locomotives
Category:Built in 1927
Category:United Kingdom
Category:15-inch gauge
Category:Minimum Gauge
Category:Miniature locomotives
Category:Eight-coupled locomotives
Category:Paxman locomotives
Category:Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway
Category:Red Livery Engines
Category:Locomotives featured in media