New museum exhibit on display

The Vale of Rheidol Railway (VoR) are pleased to announce that a new historic exhibit has been placed on display in their Aberystwyth museum, just in time for the summer holidays.

The locomotive (KLA No.4766 / DFB 968, known as ‘the Brigadelok’) was built in Germany in 1916 for use in the First World War. Small steam locomotives such as this one worked on lightly laid narrow gauge railways, helping to carry munitions and supplies to the forces on the military front line.

The engine has an unusual chimney, containing a spark arrestor. This was to avoid sparks giving away the location to British forces when working at night, as well as preventing accidents when pulling train-loads of munitions!

The ‘Brigadelok’ locomotive will be on display in Aberystwyth throughout the summer. The engine has been in the VoR’s collection since 2002, and this is the first time that it has been formally put on public display.

The museum also houses a very early Dick Kerr petrol-electric locomotive (built in 1918), which was designed to do similar jobs to the ‘Brigadelok’.

The Vale of Rheidol Railway are therefore able to display genuine artefacts from the British and German sides, both of which saw service during the First World War.

The tender

Unusually, the Brigadelok is being displayed in Aberystwyth with a large tender coupled to it. But why?

Steam locomotives require water to make them work: on most railways, this is taken from a fixed column (called a ‘water tower’), connected to the mains supplies. Military locomotives like the ‘Brigadelok’ would not have this luxury, however: they were expected to work over lightly laid railway lines, carrying munitions over boggy ground. How would they take water?

One answer would be to pull a large auxiliary tender (like a water bowser), thereby increasing the locomotive’s range: the locomotive is therefore displayed in this way, with a tender coupled to the locomotive.

The engine was also fitted with a water lifter (like a pump), allowing it to pick up water from streams or rivers if needed.

When can I see it?

The ‘Brigadelok’ is displayed in the new Museum, Display & Events venue at Aberystwyth station, on the Vale of Rheidol Railway.

The venue opened in late March 2024, and contains a wide collection of narrow gauge locomotives from across the world. The building is also designed as a flexible space for concerts, recitals and community events.

The railway and museum are open daily until November 3rd. Tickets for the museum cost £5 for adults and £3 for children (standard museum entry), or entry is free for those travelling on the train.