·  LMS  ·  GWR  ·  LNER  ·  Misc  ·  Stations  ·  What's New  ·  Video  ·  Guestbook  ·  About

LMS Route: Rugby to Wolverhampton
LMS Route: Birmingham - Soho - Perry Barr - Birmingham
LMS Route: Birmingham New Street to Harborne

Monument Lane Shed: lnwrmlsh2233b

Close up showing one Webb's 2-4-2T designs on the left and Whale's 4-4-0 'Precedent class locomotive on the right

Close up of image 'lnwrmlsh2233' showing one Webb's 2-4-2T designs on the left and Whale's 4-4-0 'Precursor class locomotive on the right. There were 160 2-4-2T locomotives used on secondary passenger services and latterly on branch line duties all over the LNWR system. A large number were also fitted for push-pull working. In 1948 when British Railways took ownership of all LMS locomotives 43 were still in service, despite it being 25 years since the demise of the LNWR, with one sold off for industrial service. The 4-4-0 locomotives were the second design to be known by this name. They were introduced by George Whale in 1904 and 130 examples were built by Crewe works up to 1907. Their introduction allowed Whale to phase out his Webb's unreliable compounds. They were essentially a larger version of Webb's LNWR Improved Precedent Class. When built their boilers were saturated (not super heated) though some were later fitted with superheated boilers. A 4-4-2T tank engine version of this locomotive known as Precursor Tank locomotives were built from 1906. The Precursors were later developed by Bowen-Cooke into the superheated George the Fifth Class 4-4-0 in 1910. The main visual difference was that the Precursors had separate splashers over each of the driving wheels while the George the Fifth class had combined splashers that covered both pairs.

back