Newport Docks Gallery

U.S. 0-6-0T shunting tank engine No. 1940 in its black War Department livery, 1942

This is an unusual inclusion in the photographic collection at STEAM, being an image of a U.S. 0-6-0T shunting tank engine which never actually worked the Great Western network. Nevertheless, this class of engine is still worth a mention as part of the Great Western war story. 382 of these Class S100 engines were shipped over to Britain from America with the intention of them operating on the railways of Europe after D Day. They arrived at the Great Western's Newport Docks from July 1942 from where they were towed to GW sheds where their final assembly was completed and they were run in and steam tested. Whilst the majority of the U.S. 0-6-0's then continued on their journey to Europe, some were temporarily put to use as shunting engines at various GW locomotive depots and 42 were put into storage at the Company's Newbury Racecourse Station where they remained, unused, until 14 were acquired by the Southern Railway after the war. This image shows the rather dusty engine No. 1940 in its black War Department livery