The 5, 6 and 7 inch Bagnall 0-4-0STs

[bécasse]

Over some five decades, Bagnall's works at Stafford produced significant numbers of narrow gauge 0-4-0STs which bore a strong family likeness to each other but which were, in practice, very different, not just because they came in three nominal class sizes, but also because the design evolved significantly no less than three times, producing four distinct production epochs. When one adds in the variations specified by Bagnall's customers, it is probably true to say that the only locos which were truly alike were the very small numbers that formed part of a multiple order by a single customer.

 

Three substantial articles by Messrs Allen Civil and Baker in early issues of "The Narrow Gauge", the magazine of the Narrow Gauge Railway Society, provide much detailed information on these three classes but, oddly, they seemed to have missed some of the significance of the four production epochs.

 

The tables below endeavour to tabulate the significant differences between the three classes and between the four production epochs, and then to provide more information in respect of the 7 inch class (and specifically its production in epoch II) as this is the loco which formed the basis for the 7mm scale kit initially produced by Roy Link, later part of the Wrightlines range and now, seemingly, out of production.

 

Note that there was no further evolution of the small 5 inch class after epoch II.