Great Western Railway 42XX Class

This class of locomotive was designed for use on heavy coal trains in the Welsh valleys, although two of the class were allocated to St. Blazey in Cornwall for china clay traffic.

4277 “Hercules”

Built for the Great Western Railway at the famous Swindon Works in 1920, 4277 was originally designed to haul heavy coal trains in the Welsh valleys and based at Aberbeeg for most of its working life, being withdrawn from there in 1964 and sent to Barry scrapyard. After languishing for 22 years she was rescued in June 1986 and restored to full working order and saw service on a number of heritage railways before being purchased by the Paignton & Dartmouth in 2008.

The engine made the long trip from her usual home at the Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway in South Devon and will be on the NNR for the 2024 season.