Birmingham New Street Station

LMS Period Locomotives: lnwrbns_lms497

Ex-LNWR 4-4-0 Benbow class No 1974 'Howe' is seen standing at the West end of Platform 2 at the head of a Class 'B' stopping service to Wolverhampton. Built at Crewe works in July 1903 No 1974 was another four-cylinder compound class of locomotive designed by Webb. Ted Talbot in his book An Illustrated History of LNWR Engines described the class as an updated version of the 'Alfred the Great' class being fitted with so-called 'duplex' reversing gear, which allowed the valve gear to the high- and low-pressure cylinders to be independently adjustable. The success of this modification resulted in all of the earlier 'Alfred the Great' class locomotives to be converted by 1907. Visually the two types of locomotives could be identified by the bulky casing on the running plate ahead of the front splasher and the Whale cab which had a longer roof and a vertical handrail to the rear of the cab roof.

This locomotive was named on being built in Aug 1903 and ran without receiving its allocated LMS No 5128 until it was finally scrapped in 1928. C1923-5 2P L.N.W.R.Benbow 4-4-0 0 5128 1974 Howe Crewe Works 4338 Jul-1903 Apr-1928 Ukn Unknown circa-1928 Crewe Works Ran as a compound until withdrawn

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