Great Western railway Metropolitan class
The Metropolitan railway opened using steam broad-gauge steam locomotives with condensing apparatus that were constructed by the Great Western Railway (GWR). The fleet consisted of twenty-two locomotives that were constructed between 1862 and 1864, that were constructed in three workshops with different naming systems. The first two batches were constructed by the Vulcan Factory, with its locomotives named after insects, and the final third batch was constructed at the Great Western Railway (GWR) workshops in Swindon. The equipment for these was later removed and the trains were used on the suburban lines around London.
| Locomotive Name | Dates of operation | Location of construction | Named after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azalia | 1864 - 1872 | Swindon | Named after the flower Azalia |
| Bee | 1862 - 1874 | Vulcan Foundry | Named after the insect bee |
| Bey | 1862 - 1872 | Kitson and Company | Named after a bey which is a Turkish chieftain |
| Camelia | 1863 - 1872 | Swindon | Named after the flower Camelia |
| Czar | 1862 - 1871 | Kitson and Company | Named after the Czar which is the emperor of Russia |
| Fleur-de-Lis | 1863 - 1872 | Swindon | Named after the symbolic flower Fleur-de-Lis |
| Gnat | 1862 - 1874 | Vulcan Foundry | Named after the insect gnat |
| Hornet | 1862 - 1873 | Vulcan Foundry | Named after the insect hornet |
| Kaiser | 1862 - 1872 | Kitson and Company | Named after a kaiser which is an emperor of Austria or Germany |
| Khan | 1862 - 1872 | Kitson and Company | Named after a khan which is an Asian leader |
| Laurel | 1864 - 1872 | Swindon Named after the tree Laurel | Named after the tree Laurel |
| Lilly | 1864 - 1872 | Swindon | Named after the lily family of flowers |
| Locust | 1862 - 1876 | Vulcan Foundry | Named after the insect locust |
| Mogul | 1862 - 1876 | Kitson and Company | A mogul was the leader of the Mughals |
| Mosquito | 1862 - 1872 | Vulcan Foundry | Named after the insect mosquito |
| Myrtle | 1864 - 1873 | Swindon | Named after the myrtle genus of flowering plants |
| Rose | 1863 - 1877 | Swindon | Named after the flowering shrub |
| Shah | 1862 - 1972 | Kitson and Company | Named after the shah was the ruler of Persia |
| Shamrock | 1863 - 1877 | Swindon | Named after the flowering plant, the shamrock, which is the symbol of Ireland |
| Thistle | 1863 - 1874 | Swindon | Named after the thistle family of flowering plants, which is the symbol of Scotland |
| Violet | 1864 - 1872 | Swindon | Named after the flower violet |
| Wasp | 1862 - 1875 | Vulcan Foundry | Named after the insect wasp |