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BMR LOCOMOTIVES

⚠️ Museum Closed Until Further Notice

NO.1 'SANTA TERESA' LOCOMOTIVE

No.1 was built by Baldwin of Philadelphia, USA in 1897 (No 15511) as a 2-6-0 tender locomotive for the Mogyana Railway in Brazil. It was sold by them to the Santa Teresa Sugar Mill, where it was converted to 2′-6′ gauge. Out of use in 1976 it was brought to the UK in 1990. Restoration and re-gauging back to 1′-113/4” was started but carried out to a very poor standard and subsequently abandoned.

The locomotive was purchased by BMR in 2002. The loco has been completely rebuilt retaining the original Cylinders, Main Frame, Valve Gear and some of the Running Gear. The loco has been converted from a 2-6-0 to a 2-6-2. The boiler, smokebox, cab, wheels, axles, rear subframe, rear truck, front pilot and new tender have all been built in our workshops here at Brecon Mountain Railway. Santa Teresa No 1 came into service at Brecon Mountain Railway in June 2019.

NO.2 BALDWIN LOCOMOTIVE

No.2 was built by Baldwin of Philadelphia, USA in 1930, (No. 61269) for the Eastern Province Cement Co. Port Elizabeth, South Africa where it spent all its working life hauling limestone. In 1973 it ran away driverless de-railed and was wrecked. It was treated as an accident write-off by the South African insurers and was purchased by us as salvage. Shipped back to the UK as deck cargo to Liverpool, rebuilt here between 1993 and 1997 this 4-6-2 tender locomotive weighs 47 tons and is capable of hauling the heaviest trains to Torpantau.

NO.3 SANDY RIVER LOCOMOTIVE

a person driving a car engine

A long term project is the construction of this new locomotive which we are building from the original Baldwin drawings of the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad, Maine USA No. 23.This 2-6-2 heavy tender locomotive, weighing 53 tons, was originally built in 1913 and scrapped on closure of the railroad in 1936

Many parts are already made, the tender is complete to footplate level and the loco bogies, motion, spring gear, brake gear and boiler fittings are finished. The next task is to cast and machine the cylinders and erect the mainframes.

NO.4 FORNEY TYPE LOCOMOTIVE

a close up of a truck

Another long term project is the construction of this new locomotive which we are building from the original Baldwin drawings of the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad, Maine, USA No. 10. This 2-4-4 Forney type tank locomotive, weighing 33 tons, was originally built in 1916 and scrapped on closure of the railroad in 1936.

Work is underway on many of the parts and construction of the boiler has started in our workshop here at Pant. The loco bogies, motion, spring gear, brake gear and boiler fittings are finished. Machining of the new cylinders is now complete, work is currently underway on the driving wheelsets. Erection of the frames will only start once all of the main components are manufactured.

OTHER LOCOMOTIVES

There are 3 small steam locomotives on the railway, two of which were built in Wales. Too small to operate trains, all 3 have recently been restored to full working order for display in the Museum at Pontsticill Station.

PENDYFFRYN

An 0-4-0 vertical boiler loco, built by De Winton & Co of Caernarfon in 1897, again for the Pen-Yr-Orsedd Slate Quarry.

Purchased in 1965 and put into store, a full restoration including the construction of a new boiler was completed by the railways workshops in 2012.