Steam Locomotive Information

Here are the notes for John Knowles & Co. No. 'Gwen', a 0-4-0WT located in Northridge, CA. If you have additional information about this locomotive, and would like to share it, click the Add Note button.

Posted: Mar 16, 2025 @ 17:03:58 by Jeremiah Weil
If she is still in Northridge, Gwen was in no danger from the fires earlier this year.

Posted: Jan 18, 2025 @ 24:01:03 by Mark Smithers
Has GWEN survived the recent fires?

Posted: Jan 27, 2021 @ 13:01:55 by Russell Newman
To the owner of "Gwen" she has a surviving twin sister locomotive in the UK named "Jack" that was also built by Hunslet for the John Knowles & Co. in 1898. "Jack" did operate alongside "Gwen" here in the UK and "Jack" today is at the Statfold Barn Railway at Tamworth in Staffordshire in the UK where she runs on a 18inch gauge railway there along side other preserved narrow gauge steam locomotives from the UK and around the world. It would be wonderful if "Gwen" would come visit the UK one day?

Posted: Jan 26, 2021 @ 09:01:45 by Richard Farmer
Wheel arrangement: 0-4-0 WT Gwen has a well tank which is found between the frames below the smokebox

Posted: Jul 21, 2004 @ 20:07:23 by Richard Farmer
When I purchased "Gwen" at an auction of the estate of Quentin Jarvis in San Pedro, Ca. in 1983, she was in rather poor condition. Her boiler and cylinder jackets were rusted through, all fittings and loose parts were missing (sand dome lids, valve stems, gauges, injector, safety valves, whistle, etc.). Fortuantly, the rest of the locomotive was intact and except for the normal ware and tare you expect to find on a 60 year old locomotive she was an excellent candidate for restoration. It took me a year to locate the missing fittings which had been sold at the auction in a box of odd parts this was, of course, very fortunate. The chances of finding original parts for a 1920 British locomotive in the U.S. would be quite slim indeed. I was able to acquire several parts and blueprints for the engine from the Hunslet Engine Company in Leeds, England. We were not able to locate the hydrostatic lubricators which were original to the locomotive. Unbelievable as it may seem Hunslet had a new pair of these on the shelf in their spares department in 1985. I did the restoration in my home workshop with the help of my brothers, Bob and Ron. In 1991 "Gwen" was invited to appear at "Railfair '91" at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. We worked some late nigths to finish her up and did a test run just a few days before she was taken by truck to Sacramento. Since then "Gwen" hasn't traveled to far. She made a second appearance in Sacramento in 1999 (see photo on first page) and was at the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City in July 2000 for their Transportation Fair. "Gwen" is still in operating condition and sometimes can be found running on my 200 foot "Backyard Railroad".

Posted: Oct 27, 2002 @ 02:10:56 by Jeff Hartmann
cylinders: 6 1/2" bore X 8" stroke driver diameter 18 1/2" tractive effort 2,192 lbs Source for the above information: 18 Inch Gauge Steam Railways by Mark Smithers.


John Knowles & Co. 0-4-0WT No. 'Gwen' Northridge, California, United States	Location: Farmer Estate Status: Operational