GWR 388 Class

The GWR 388 Class was a series of inside-cylinder 2-4-0 mixed-traffic and secondary express tender locomotives built for the Great Western Railway from 1857 under Daniel Gooch's superintendency, representing one of the GWR's standard-gauge mixed-traffic types during the period when the GWR was operating both its original 7 ft broad gauge on the main lines and standard gauge on the secondary and absorbed lines. The class provided the GWR with capable standard-gauge motive power for the secondary passenger and mixed-traffic routes that were not covered by the broad-gauge fleet.

Daniel Gooch had been the GWR's Locomotive Superintendent since 1837 and was one of the key figures in Victorian locomotive development, responsible for the powerful broad-gauge express engines including the celebrated Iron Duke class that had established the GWR's reputation for high-speed express running. The 388 Class represented Gooch's approach to standard-gauge practice: a reliable, conservative 2-4-0 design suited to the mixed-traffic requirements of the secondary and absorbed lines that ran on the national standard gauge.

The 388 Class gave service through the late 1850s and 1860s before being superseded by Armstrong's more modern designs. None was preserved.