The Great Western Railway Leo Class 2-4-0 was a class of broad gauge steam locomotives for goods train work. This class was introduced into service between January 1841 and July 1842, and withdrawn between September 1864 and June 1874.

These locomotives were the first for the railway with coupled wheels as they were designed as goods locomotives, but they later found use on passenger trains too. All the class were altered to 2-4-0STs.

The locomotives were built by three different workshops, each with its own naming convention. The first three came from R and W Hawthorn, who named them after strong animals. The next three were named after volcanoes by Fenton, Murray and Jackson, while the final twelve came from Rothwell and Company carrying the names of the twelve houses of the zodiac.

Locomotives

NameManufacturerSerial NºBuiltWithdrawnNotes
ElephantR. & W. Hawthorn & Co.319January 1841December 1870
BuffaloR. & W. Hawthorn & Co.320March 1841April 1865
DromedaryR. & W. Hawthorn & Co.321March 1841December 1866
HeclaFenton, Murray and Jackson35April 1841September 1864
StromboliFenton, Murray and Jackson36April 1841July 1870
EtnaFenton, Murray and Jackson37June 1841December 1870
AriesRothwell and Company66June 1841June 1871
TaurusRothwell and Company67July 1841December 1870
GeminiRothwell and Company68September 1841March 1866
CancerRothwell and Company69October 1841June 1874
LeoRothwell and Company70October 1841December 1870
VirgoRothwell and Company71December 1841December 1870
LibraRothwell and Company72February 1842June 1871
ScorpioRothwell and Company73February 1842December 1872
SagittariusRothwell and Company74April 1842June 1871
CapricornusRothwell and Company75April 1842July 1870
AquariusRothwell and Company76June 1842July 1870
PiscesRothwell and Company77July 1842June 1874

Notes

  • Reed, P. J. T. (February 1953). White, D. E. (ed.). The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway, Part 2: Broad Gauge. Kenilworth: RCTS. pp. B16–B17. ISBN 0-901115-32-0. OCLC .{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ignored ISBN errors (link)