LNWR Prince of Wales Tank Class

The LNWR Prince of Wales Tank Class was a series of 4-6-2T Baltic tank locomotives built at Crewe Works from 1910 as tank engine derivatives of the Prince of Wales tender 4-6-0, designed for the LNWR's suburban and outer-suburban passenger services around London and on the Lancashire and Yorkshire urban networks where the Pacific tank's combination of six coupled wheels and side tank water storage gave good performance for intensive stop-start suburban working without the encumbrance of a separate tender.

Bowen-Cooke developed the Prince of Wales Tank in parallel with the tender version, applying the same superheated two-cylinder layout and Walschaerts valve gear to a 4-6-2T chassis. The 4-6-2T Baltic tank wheel arrangement — four leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels, two trailing wheels beneath large rear tanks — was relatively uncommon in British suburban practice, though it had been used by the LBSCR for similar outer-suburban purposes. The six coupled wheels gave the adhesion needed for starting heavy suburban trains, while the generous side and rear tanks provided water for the extended outer-suburban runs on the LNWR's Watford and Tring services out of Euston.

The Prince of Wales Tank Class gave competent service on LNWR outer-suburban duties and passed to the LMS at the 1923 Grouping, where they continued on former-LNWR suburban and secondary passenger working. See the main LNWR Prince of Wales Class entry for full details of the tender locomotive design from which this class was derived. None of the Prince of Wales Tank Class was preserved.