LSWR 0298 Class 0-4-2WT 0314 at Wadebridge shed
The London and South Western Railway (LSWR) 0298 Class or Beattie Well Tank is a class of British steam locomotive. They are 2-4-0WT well tanks, originally built between 1863 and 1875 for use on passenger services in the suburbs of London, but later used on rural services in South West England. Out of a total production of 85, two locomotives have been preserved in an operational condition. Three locomotives of the class (298, 314 and 329) were transferred to the Bodmin and Wadebridge Railway in 1895, which was one of the earliest railways in Cornwall and isolated from the main LSWR network until that year. These three remained in service because of the sharp curves of that railway's freight branch to Wenford Bridge, which carried china clay traffic to the main line. They were finally withdrawn in 1962 and replaced by GWR 1366 Class 0-6-0PT dock tanks. In 1958, they were noted as "the oldest design still in use on British Railways (although not quite the oldest engines ...)", the latter distinction being given to two locomotives of the former LB&SCR A1x class which had been built in 1872.
Size: 3342px × 2002px
Location: Wadebridge, Cornwall
Photo credit: © Digbydachshund / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 0-4-2wt, 0298, 0314, bodmin, british, locomotive, lswr, railway, shed, southern, sr, steam, wadebridge, wenford
