Great Western Railway (Cardiff Railway Co.) 0-4-0ST No. 1338 (5)
Didcot, Berkshire, UK
Location: Didcot Railway Centre
Status: Display
Posted: Jun 7, 2025 @ 14:06:48 by Steve Frost, European Editor
Built in Leeds by Kitson & Co. in the late 19th Century for the Cardiff Railway, this was a standard Kitson design whose short wheelbase was ideal for dock shunting where there were sharp radius curves.

As built it would have been a well tank loco featuring Kitson's patent valve gear, which is prominent in this and in album photos. Originally it was hidden behind a plate, making the loco look like a side tank loco. The Great Western took control of the Cardiff Railway in 1923 and subsequently rebuilt the loco as a saddle tank design, revealing the valve gear and 'Westernising' the loco. The safety valves on top of the dome are an example of this. Notice the bell ahead of the cab, necessary in the confined spaces of the Cardiff dockland.


Posted: Aug 9, 2006 @ 12:08:11 by MIKE REES
An empty weight is not known but the all up weight is 25 tons 10 cwt. Driver diameter is 38.5 inches, tractive effort is 14540 lbs, boiler pressure is 160 lbs per square inch, cylinders are 14 x 21 inches