The W. G. Bagnall New Standard 18 is a type of industrial steam locomotive manufactured at W. G. Bagnall's Castle Engine Works and designed by Harold Wood at W.G. Bagnall in 1951. The class was specifically designed for the Port Talbot Steelworks, and ran from 1951 to 1973 in industrial service. Two locomotives (2994 & 2996), the former Longbridge locomotives, are preserved.
Construction
The three locomotives were ordered in 1950 and completed in 1951 with the Bagnall works numbers 2994–2996. The works numbers are what the locomotives are more commonly referred to today.
Design
[[File:Bagnall 0-6-0ST 2994 Vulcan, Terrier & 0-4-0ST WSR Minehead June 1980 Slides222 (9972221246).jpg|thumb|2994 Vulcan"]] Three locomotives were ordered by the Steel Company of Wales (SCOW) for their Abbey, Margam and Port Talbot works during the early 1950s, to replace the elderly locomotives which were running at that time. The Steel Company of Wales wanted to see how steam locomotives compared against diesel locomotives, but because the elderly steam locos that they had at that time, did not give a modern and fair view on steam locomotives, they ordered large and specially designed tank locomotives from W.G Bagnall, who had provided 2 powerful 0-4-0ST locomotives to Port Talbot in the 1930s. SCOW were testing to see whether steam or diesel was more economical and also to see which motive power was better on the duties at the steelworks.
W.G Bagnall intended, for the New Standard 18 locomotives to be their new standard, post war heavy shunter. But with diesel locomotives becoming more popular in the industrial locomotive markets, the Steel Company of Wales would become the only customer. W.G Bagnall merging with Brush Traction in 1951 to create Brush Bagnall Traction Limited, Brush Bagnall focused more on diesel locomotives and Brush Bagnall would later supply the Port Talbot and fundamentally replace the W.G Bagnall steam locomotives with Brush Bagnall diesel locomotives.
A distinctive feature of these engines was their use of external valve gear. Using external cylinders, piston valves and Walschaerts valve gear rather than the more common Stephenson link, the locomotives incorporated features the same post-war trends that also appeared in the BR Standard classes, but they were largely alien to traditional industrial saddle tanks.
The locomotives had a wide range of features, that were very uncommon on industrial locomotives. Features included: piston valves, roller-type big-end and side-rod bearings, manganese steel axle-box and horn plate liners, hopper ashpans, self-cleaning smokeboxes, rocking grates and Lambets wet sanding. Steel fireboxes were used as well as "Owens" patent poppet valve and balanced regulator valves. As was usual for short-journey locomotives they were not fitted with superheating, as short journeys allow little time for the superheater elements to reach working temperature.
The cylinders provided for the class were , together with drivers. The dimensions of the class were comparable to the Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST, widely used for similar purposes. The Bagnall locomotives had of tractive effort, which was higher than the Hunslet locomotives tractive effort of 23,870 lbf (106.18 kN) and second only to the Peckett OQ Class with 29,527 lbf of tractive effort.
Steel Company of Wales
The locomotives when they first arrived at Port Talbot, were given the running numbers: 401 (Works no 2994), 402 (Works no 2995), and 403 (Works no 2996). The locomotives ran at the Port Talbot site. The three locos performed above and beyond the requirements of their original design specification however the decision was made in favour of diesel power and by 1957 all three were replaced by Brush Bagnall diesel locomotives. The locomotives while in service at Port Talbot, were noted for their impressive reliability and availability. 2994 was sold, with sister 2996, to the Austin Motor Company Ltd. (later to become British Leyland) for use at their Longbridge plant in Birmingham. At Longbridge the two locos received the names Victor and Vulcan'' a reference to the RAF V bombers then entering service. 2995 was never named and was sold to a scrap and plant dealer in South Wales who later sold it on to the National Coal Board for use at one of their collieries in South Wales.
Post Steel Company of Wales Service
2994 and 2996 (Vulcan and Victor)