Taffy Tanks

Just had a quick look through Michael Jackman's book about life at 73B Bricklayers Arms. The Q1s were called Charlies, the first being numbered C1. C for Charlie. The WCs and BBs were called Spamcans or Spams for short, and this was in 1947.

 

I fear any attempt to restrict current and future generations to the slang terms used by their great-grandfathers and great-great-grandfathers is probably doomed to failure... lets just be content that people are still interested enough to coin new slang names for the locomotives!

 

Im not sure South Wales was the only main sphere of operation for 56XX's, Tyseley had a healthy allocation and they were just as common on suburban work in the West Midlands as 51XX's.

 

I didn't say it was, though I suspect South Wales had the larger allocation, but many people associate the class with South Wales. You will note that I also mentioned that 6695 was West Midlands based in her early years.

 

They were certainly designed with South Wales in mind, non-standard in the annals of GWR locomotive design, clear successors of the South Walian 0-6-2Ts. 200 were built however, which, when one bears in mind the numbers of 2-8-0Ts the GWR had in South Wales, and the number of pre-grouping locos that remained in service into the 50s, leaves a healthy surplus for use elsewhere. They were an exceptionally useful design - a Large Prairie with extra heave!

 

The 56xx was largely based upon the Rhymney Railways 'R' class, in terms of wheelbase, and general proportion. A lot of the class were spread out when the coal trade in Wales dipped down, at the end of the 1920's. Eric Mountford describes in his book about Caerphilly Works, how some of the 42/52 tanks were mothballed, along with a solitary 56xx tank.

Also, about this time, the Western were making large inroads into the pre-grouping locomotives, with a lot of older kit from the Barry, Taff, Rhymney, etc, getting scrapped off. Most of this older kit was around class 3 haulage, and could be handled by newer panniers, etc.

Interesting that Llantrisant shed never had a regular allocation of 56xx, but worked one of the larger collieries in the area, namely Cambrian, at Penygraig. IIRC the line was a 'red', as 42's were allowed up there...

The Taff class 'A' handled a large proportion of the passenger work on the ex Taff & Barry lines, along with the shed pilot duties at Caerphilly Works. The ex-Rhymney lines stuck to their own locomotives, until really late in the day.

Regards,
Ian.

 

Another nick name for them, although one that was perculiar to a rather small area was Stourbridge Castles, as they were about the biggest locos stourbridge had!

 

Perhaps we could call the 42/5205 classes super Taffys!

 

I agree! What have I started!

 

Too right Olly, my driver last week, an Ex. Tyseley fireman in steam days stated that this was the nickname given to the 56xx's in the West Midlands. Not only were they Stourbridge depot's biggest, but the 'Castle' link ties up with their awkwardness of driver preparation.

 

There were 2 based at Leamington 6657/6697 and Tyseley's 6668 was commonly seen in Leamington, I think they were used on transfer freights from the LMR line at Leamington to the Birmingham area, often brick trains.

Cheers Dave

 

Hence why you and your mate didn't want to loose the 15 the other week?

 

edit: please delete.

 

I know of many Welshmen (North and South) who would consider being branded a "Taffy" to be offensive and derogatory term boardering on racism. There are similarly other derogatory terms that would be offensive to Irish and Scots.

Says more about the pathetic standard of journalism in our railway press IMHO - at least with forums like this you nowadays don't need to read their product.

Gareth

 

Course the Welsh have never said anything bad about English people....

 

It's a bit daft to be offended by a nickname which is based on the name of a river running through your principle city.

 

i was lucky enough to work with some of the last few remaining footplate men who worked on steam on The Valleys Lines.
none knew the 'class' of the locos they worked on, though one colleague could recite all the numbers of the locos at the shed he was based at in 1956-1960! without exception all locos were referred to as 'black tankies', despite the fact that most if not all 56XX's (and 64XX's) were painted in brunswick green by caerphilly works! i cannot imagine anyone on The Valley Lines referring to a Swindon product as a 'Taffy'. 'Taffy' was a derogatory term used by those over the border of The Principality.
cheers,
julian