London & North Western Railway

The London and North Western Railway — self-styled the 'Premier Line' — was the dominant force in Victorian British railway politics: the largest joint-stock company in Britain for much of the nineteenth century, operator of the West Coast Main Line from Euston to Carlisle, and the railway whose Crewe Works was the most celebrated locomotive manufacturing establishment in the world. Formed in 1846 from the Grand Junction, Liverpool and Manchester, London and Birmingham, and Manchester and Birmingham railways, the LNWR controlled the principal route from London to the industrial north-west, Scotland, and Ireland via Holyhead — a strategic position it exploited with characteristic forcefulness throughout the Victorian era.

Crewe Works, established in 1843, was the engineering heart of the LNWR and the largest purpose-built railway works in the world at its peak. The succession of CMEs who led Crewe's design office — John Ramsbottom, whose water trough invention of 1860 transformed long-distance non-stop running; Francis Webb whose thirty-two-year tenure produced the celebrated Precedent 2-4-0 (No. 790 Hardwicke's 1895 Race to the North run of 141 miles in 126 minutes remaining one of the greatest British steam performances); George Whale who rapidly displaced Webb's troublesome compounds with capable simple-expansion types; and Charles Bowen Cooke who introduced superheating and the George the Fifth 4-4-0 — together built the largest locomotive fleet of any British railway.

The LNWR's competitive rivalry with the Midland Railway for Anglo-Scottish traffic was one of the defining commercial and engineering contests of Victorian railways, the 1888 and 1895 Races to the North being the most dramatic expressions of a competition that shaped both companies' locomotive and operating policies for decades. The LNWR amalgamated with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in January 1922 and became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway at the 1923 Grouping. Crewe Works continues today under Alstom ownership on the same site where the LNWR built its locomotives from 1843.

About

The London and North Western Railway (LNWR) was a British pre-grouping railway formed on 16 July 1846 by the amalgamation of the Grand Junction, Liverpool & Manchester, London & Birmingham and Manchester & Birmingham railways. It was for many decades the largest joint-stock company in Britain and ran the West Coast Main Line between Euston and Carlisle, with an extensive network in the West Midlands, Lancashire and North Wales. The company styled itself the 'Premier Line' on the strength of its London–Crewe–Carlisle trunk and its share of the Anglo-Scottish boat-train traffic.

Locomotive engineering was concentrated at Crewe Works (founded 1840) and at Wolverton Works (carriages). Successive Locomotive Superintendents and Chief Mechanical Engineers, Francis Trevithick, John Ramsbottom (1862–1871), Francis Webb (1871–1903), George Whale (1903–1909), Charles Bowen Cooke (1909–1920) and H. P. M. Beames (1920–1922), built up a fleet that at its peak numbered 3,300 locomotives, the largest of any British railway.

The Webb era is associated with British compound expansion, eight successive compound classes between 1882 and 1903, and produced both technical successes (the 'Coal Tank', the 'DX Goods', the 'Cauliflower' 0-6-0) and famous failures. Whale's reaction was to build large numbers of straightforward simple-expansion engines, particularly the 'Precursor' 4-4-0 and 'Experiment' 4-6-0 of 1904–1905; Bowen Cooke followed with the George the Fifth superheated 4-4-0 and the four-cylinder Claughton 4-6-0.

The LNWR amalgamated with the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway on 1 January 1922 in anticipation of the Grouping, and the combined company became part of the LMS one year later on 1 January 1923. Crewe Works continued as the LMS's principal locomotive works and remains today (under Alstom ownership) on the same site.

Locomotives owned

18 inch — Alternative reference to the LNWR Cauliflower 18-inch goods 0-6-0 — see that entry.
4ft 6in Tank — Webb's 1879 LNWR 2-4-2T class with 4 ft 6 in coupled wheels — built at Crewe for LNWR suburban and short-distance passenger work.
L&MR Lion — An 1838 Liverpool & Manchester Railway 0-4-2 built by Todd, Kitson & Laird of Leeds — one of the L&MR's earliest goods engines. Sold out of mainline service in 1859 to the Mersey Docks & Harbour Board for use as a stationary pumping engine, then preserved by the Liverpool Engineering Society in 1928. Famously starred as the title-engine in the 1953 Ealing comedy film *The Titfield Thunderbolt*. Preserved at the Museum of Liverpool — one of the oldest working steam locomotives in the world.
LNWR 1400 Bill Bailey Class — Webb's 1903 LNWR 1400 class 4-6-0 "Bill Bailey" — Webb's first 4-6-0, an unsuccessful four-cylinder compound. The design's failure contributed to Webb's retirement. Only 4 built. None preserved.
LNWR 3020 Cornwall Class — Francis Trevithick's celebrated 1847 LNWR 4-2-2 single, originally built at Crewe with the boiler positioned below the driving axle — a radical attempt to lower the centre of gravity. Cornwall was rebuilt to conventional layout in 1858 and worked LNWR expresses into the 1900s. Preserved at the National Railway Museum, York — one of the oldest surviving British express engines.
LNWR Bloomers — James McConnell's 1851 series of 2-2-2 express engines for the LNWR's Southern Division, named "Bloomers" by railway staff because the exposed driving wheels and short skirt suggested the Bloomer costume of women's reform dress then in fashion. 40 were built at Wolverton Works between 1851 and 1862 and worked LNWR Southern Division expresses until the 1880s.
LNWR Bloomfield — Ramsbottom's 1858 LNWR 0-6-0 goods engine — see LNWR DX Goods class; Bloomfield was one of the early prototypes from which the production DX class evolved.
LNWR Cauliflower — Francis Webb's 1880 LNWR 18-inch "Cauliflower" 0-6-0 goods class, the LNWR's standard goods engine for the 1880s and 1890s. Named for the prominent LNWR coat-of-arms displayed on the splasher — the heraldic emblem looking, to railwaymen, like a cauliflower. 310 were built between 1880 and 1902 at Crewe and worked LNWR goods traffic through to the 1950s. Withdrawal complete by 1955; none preserved — a serious gap.
LNWR Class — Generic reference; specific class not identifiable from slug. The 1904 LNWR 4-4-0s of note are the Precursor class and Experiment class (Whale era).
LNWR Class G1 — Bowen Cooke's 1912 LNWR G1 class 0-8-0 "Super D" goods — the LNWR's standard heavy mineral engine, 60 built and 449 ultimately rebuilt from earlier Webb compounds and simples. Worked LNWR/LMS heavy mineral traffic until the 1960s. None preserved (a notable absence).
LNWR Class G2 (Super D) — A Beames superheated 0-8-0 heavy goods engine for the London and North Western Railway, developed from earlier Webb and Whale 0-8-0 designs and outshopped from 1921. The class was the LNWR's standard heavy mineral engine and continued in service through the LMS and BR eras until 1964. 60 were built and one, 49395, has been preserved as part of the National Collection at the National Railway Museum in York.
LNWR Claughton Class — Bowen Cooke's 1913 LNWR Claughton class 4-6-0 — Bowen Cooke's flagship express engine. Four-cylinder simple 4-6-0; 130 built. Always troublesome and often outclassed by the smaller Prince of Wales 4-6-0s. Most rebuilt by Stanier as Patriots / Royal Scots in the 1930s. None preserved.
LNWR Coal Tank — Francis Webb's small 0-6-2T tank engine for the London & North Western Railway, originally a tank-engine version of his Coal Engine 0-6-0 goods. Three hundred engines were built at Crewe Works between 1881 and 1897 for short-haul mineral and shunting work. Just one survives, No. 1054, preserved by the Bahamas Locomotive Society at Ingrow West, Keighley & Worth Valley Railway.
LNWR Dreadnought Class — Webb's 1884 LNWR 2-2-2-2 three-cylinder compound express engines — successors of the "Experiment" compounds with similar layout but larger boilers and improved detail. 40 built. Like the Experiments, suffered from uncoupled-driver problems and were progressively rebuilt as simples.
LNWR George the Fifth Class — Bowen Cooke's 1910 LNWR George the Fifth class 4-4-0 — Bowen Cooke's celebrated superheated 4-4-0s. 90 built between 1910 and 1915, the LNWR's premier express engines until superseded by the Claughton 4-6-0s. Named after George V on his accession. None preserved.
LNWR Greater Britain — Webb's 1891 LNWR 2-2-2-2 three-cylinder compound express class — successors of the Dreadnought class with even larger boilers (the longest LNWR boilers built up to that date), but the same uncoupled-driver layout that compromised reliability. 10 built. All rebuilt as simples by 1907.
LNWR Lady of the Lake — John Ramsbottom's 1859 LNWR Problem class 2-2-2 express engines (also known as Lady of the Lake class after one of the named members), 60 built at Crewe between 1859 and 1865 — Ramsbottom's flagship singles for the Euston main line and the engines that hauled the famous "Special Mail" trains carrying the Royal Mail north to Carlisle. The class total reflects the long evolution of Ramsbottom's single-driver practice; the 1846 date in the encyclopedia metadata reflects an earlier engine of similar name. See LNWR Problem class.
LNWR Precedent Class — Francis Webb's 2-4-0 express passenger engine for the London and North Western Railway, designed in 1874 as a development of John Ramsbottom's earlier Newton class. The Precedent and the rebuilt Improved Precedent (Jumbos) handled the LNWR's premier London-to-Scotland expresses through the 1870s and 1880s, including the famous 1888 Race to the North. 70 were built and one, 790 Hardwicke, has survived in the National Collection.
LNWR Precedent full Class — Francis Webb's 1874 LNWR 2-4-0 express class — the celebrated "Precedents" or "Jumbos". 96 were built at Crewe between 1874 and 1882, the LNWR's standard 2-4-0 express engine for two decades. No. 790 "Hardwicke" famously hauled the southbound leg of the 1895 Race to the North from Crewe to Carlisle at an average of 67 mph, including the climb to Shap. Hardwicke is preserved at the National Railway Museum, York.
LNWR Prince of Wales Class — Bowen Cooke's 1911 LNWR "Prince of Wales" class 4-6-0 — Bowen Cooke's superheated 4-6-0, 246 built between 1911 and 1922. The LNWR's standard mixed-traffic 4-6-0 of the late LNWR/early LMS period. None preserved (a long-running new-build project is in progress).
LNWR Prince of Wales Tank Class — Tank version of the LNWR Prince of Wales class 4-6-0 — see that entry.
LNWR Problem Class — John Ramsbottom's 1859 LNWR 2-2-2 express class — also known as the "Lady of the Lake" class — 60 built at Crewe between 1859 and 1865. The LNWR's standard express engine of the 1860s and 1870s, working the Special Mail trains carrying the Royal Mail north to Carlisle. The prototype Problem set new standards for fuel economy and gave its name to the class.
LNWR Tank — Webb's 1901 LNWR 4-4-2T "Precursor Tank" class — Webb's tank version of the Precursor 4-4-0 for LNWR outer-suburban work.
LNWR Webb Problem compounds — Francis Webb's 1881 LNWR 2-2-2-2 three-cylinder compound express engines (the "Experiment" prototype and 30 production engines) — Webb's first attempt at compound expansion, with two outside high-pressure cylinders driving one pair of drivers and one inside low-pressure cylinder driving the other, both pairs uncoupled. Performed badly in service: the two pairs of drivers frequently rotated independently, leading to slipping and unreliable operation. Withdrawn or rebuilt as simples by 1907.
LNWR Whale Experiment Class — George Whale's 1905 LNWR "Experiment" class 4-6-0 — Whale's first 4-6-0 design, succeeding Webb. 105 built. The class name reused Webb's earlier nominee. None preserved.
LNWR Whitworth Single — Francis Trevithick's 1848 LNWR 2-2-2 express engine, built at Crewe to Whitworth's screw-thread standards (then a novelty — the Whitworth thread became Britain's first national engineering standard). 25 were built between 1848 and 1855 and worked LNWR expresses on the Northern Division.

Founded	16 July 1846
Dissolved	1 January 1923
Country	England
Headquarters	Euston Station, London