A historic 0-8-0 German tank locomotive has gone on display in the museum of the Vale of Rheidol Railway (VoR) at Aberystwyth in West Wales, just in time for the Summer holidays.

The locomotive is a ‘Brigadelok’ built by Maffei in Germany in 1916 for use in the First World War.

Maffei later became the locomotive builder Krauss-Maffei. The locomotive is typical of those that worked on lightly laid narrow gauge railways to carry munitions and supplies to forces on the front line.

The unusual chimney seen in the photograph contains a spark arrestor to prevent accidents when hauling train loads of munitions and stopped the emission of sparks that would have revealed the locomotive’s location to British forces when working at night.

The Vale of Rheidol has had the Brigadelok’ in its collection since 2002, but this is the first time it has been on public display.

Also in the museum is a petrol-electric locomotive built by Dick Kerr in 1918 for the British Army and suitable for work similar to the Brigadelok.

With two locomotives from the First World War, The Vale of Rheidol Railway has genuine artefacts from both the British and German sides on display.

A large tender is coupled to the Brigadelok because when it was working over lightly laid railway lines, carrying munitions over boggy ground, it was often difficult to take water.

The answer lay in a large auxiliary tender, similar to a water bowser, which increased the locomotive’s range, and is why the locomotive is displayed with a tender attached.

A water lifter, similar to a pump, is also fitted to the Brigadelok and could be used to draw water from streams or rivers.

As well as the Brigadelok, a wide collection of narrow gauge locomotives from across the world are displayed in the new Museum, Display & Events venue at Aberystwyth station.

The railway and museum are open daily until November 3rd, and entry is free for those travelling on the Vale of Rheidol Railway.

The museum is also open for anyone not travelling on the train, with tickets costing £5 for adults and £3 for children.

Last year, the Vale of Rheidol Railway acquired the Brecon Mountain Railway to ensure its long-term future.