LNWR 3020 Cornwall Class
Design and development
Francis Trevithick (son of Richard Trevithick and Locomotive Superintendent of the LNWR Northern Division before Ramsbottom) built Cornwall at Crewe Works in 1847 as an experiment in low-centre-of-gravity locomotive design. The original layout placed the boiler below the level of the driving axle, with the firebox crown beneath the cab floor — a striking and unprecedented arrangement that produced an engine looking unlike any other locomotive of the period.
The arrangement worked but was inconvenient for maintenance, and Cornwall was rebuilt by Ramsbottom in 1858 to a conventional 4-2-2 layout with the boiler above the driving axle, retaining the 8 ft 6 in driving wheels.
Service and withdrawals
Cornwall worked LNWR expresses from 1858 (in rebuilt form) until withdrawal in 1902. The engine was retained by the LNWR as a heritage piece, ran on special workings into the 1920s, and was eventually transferred to the National Railway Museum, where it is on permanent static display in conventional rebuilt form.
Identification features
4-2-2 with 8 ft 6 in driving wheels, inside cylinders, leading 4-wheel bogie, parallel boiler. Easily identified by its very large drivers and elegant LNWR styling.
Notable locomotives
- Cornwall (No. 3020, 1847; rebuilt 1858; National Railway Museum)