LNWR Newton Class

The LNWR Newton Class was a class of ninety-six 2-4-0 steam locomotives^[1] built by the London and North Western Railway at their Crewe Works between 1866 and 1873.

LNWR Newton class
LNWR 1525 Abercrombie at Monument Lane loco depot
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer John Ramsbottom Builder Crewe Works Serial number 920–929, 980–999, 1160–1179, 1280–1289, 1300–1309, 1380–1385, 1479–1488, 1682–1691 Build date April 1866 – August 1873 Total produced 96 (LNWR) 10 (L&YR)
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-4-0  • UIC 1B n2 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Leading dia. 3 ft 9 in (1.143 m) Driver dia. 6 ft 9 in (2.057 m) Tender wheels 3 ft 9 in (1.143 m) Wheelbase: ​  • Engine 15 ft 8 in (4.775 m)  • Leading 7 ft 5 in (2.261 m)  • Coupled 8 ft 3 in (2.515 m) Loco weight 29 long tons (29 t) Water cap. 1,500 imp gal (6,800 L; 1,800 US gal) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 15 sq ft (1.4 m2) Boiler: ​  • Diameter 4 ft 0+3⁄16 in (1.224 m)  • Tube plates 10 ft 6 in (3.200 m) Boiler pressure 140 lbf/in2 (970 kPa) Heating surface 1,099 sq ft (102.1 m2) Cylinders Two, inside Cylinder size 17 in × 24 in (432 mm × 610 mm)
Performance figures Tractive effort 10,190 lbf (45.33 kN)
Career Operators London and North Western Railway Scrapped November 1880 - January 1894 Disposition All scrapped

They were officially designated Curved Link 6-ft 6-in Passenger due to the use of a curved link between the fore and back eccentric rods of their Stephenson valve gear and the use of 6-foot-6-inch (1.981 m) diameter wheel centres, which, together with 1+1⁄2-inch (38 mm) thick tyres gave a driving wheel diameter of 6 ft 9 in (2.057 m).^[2][3]

They were designed by John Ramsbottom who had 76 built, all without cabs and with pierced driving wheel splashers. Ramsbottom's successor F. W. Webb, built twenty more, all with cabs. The earlier locomotives also gained cabs, and all eventually had the splashers filled in.^[4]

All were 'renewed' (replaced) by a like number of LNWR Improved Precedent Class between 1887 and 1894.^[5]

Fleet list

Nameplate of LNWR No. 790 Hardwicke at National Railway Museum still displaying the original year of build of the 'renewed' Newton.

Table of locomotives^[5]

LNWR No.	Name	Crewe Works No.	Date built	Date scrapped	Notes
1480	Newton	920	April 1866	November 1888
1481	The Duke of Edinburgh	921	June 1866	October 1888	Was to have been named Franklin
1482	Herschel	922	May 1866	January 1890
1483	Newcomen	923	May 1866	March 1890
1484	Telford	924	May 1866	November 1890
1485	Smeaton	925	May 1866	December 1887
1486	Dalton	926	May 1866	March 1890
1487	Faraday	927	May 1866	June 1887
1488	Murdoch	928	May 1866	November 1888
1489	Brindley	929	May 1866	April 1893
1513	Shakespeare	980	October 1866	February 1890
1514	Scott	981	October 1866	November 1890
1515	Milton	982	October 1866	May 1890
1516	Byron	983	November 1866	June 1891
1517	Princess Helena	984	November 1866	November 1888
1518	Countess	985	November 1866	May 1891
1519	Duchess	986	November 1866	June 1891
1520	Franklin	987	November 1866	May 1891
1521	Gladstone	988	November 1866	September 1889
1522	Pitt	989	November 1866	January 1888
1523	Marlborough	990	November 1866	April 1893
1524	Wolfe	991	November 1866	March 1890
1525	Abercrombie	992	November 1866	May 1891
1526	Drake	993	November 1866	January 1890
1527	Raleigh	994	November 1866	February 1888
1528	Frobisher	995	November 1866	February 1888
1529	Cook	996	November 1866	September 1889
1530	Columbus	997	November 1866	November 1888
1531	Cromwell	998	November 1866	November 1890
1532	Hampden	999	November 1866	June 1892
1666	Ariadne	1160	March 1868	June 1891
1667	Corunna	1161	March 1868	April 1893
1668	Dagmar	1162	March 1868	May 1891
1669	Ilion	1163	March 1868	March 1888
1670	Ganymede	1164	March 1868	June 1887
1671	Shamrock	1165	March 1868	June 1891
1672	Talavera	1166	March 1868	February 1890
1673	Lucknow	1167	April 1868	May 1891
1674	Delhi	1168	April 1868	November 1890
1675	Vimiera	1169	April 1868	May 1891
1676	The Nile	1170	April 1868	May 1891
1677	Badajos	1171	April 1868	January 1890
1678	Airey	1172	April 1868	April 1892
1679	Bunsen	1173	April 1868	January 1888
1680	Livingstone	1174	May 1868	June 1891
1681	Minerva	1175	May 1868	February 1888
1682	Novelty	1176	May 1868	June 1892
1683	Sisyphus	1177	May 1868	April 1891
1684	Speke	1178	May 1868	June 1891
1685	Gladiator	1179	May 1868	November 1880
1744	Magdala	1280	October 1869	April 1892
1745	John Bright	1281	October 1869	April 1892
1746	Bevere	1282	November 1869	January 1890
1747	Tennyson	1283	November 1869	May 1891	John Mayall from 1885
1748	Britannia	1284	November 1869	July 1889
1749	Hibernia	1285	November 1869	January 1888
379	Sedgwick	1286	December 1869	October 1888
380	Quernmore	1287	December 1869	June 1891
381	Patterdale	1288	December 1869	April 1893
382	Buckingham	1289	January 1870	May 1890
393	Brougham	1300	August 1870	April 1893
394	Eamont	1301	August 1870	April 1893
395	Scotia	1302	September 1870	June 1892
396	Dunrobin	1303	September 1870	April 1891	Tennyson from 1885
271	Minotaur	1304	September 1870	June 1887
275	Vulcan	1305	September 1870	January 1888
276	Pluto	1306	September 1870	November 1888
295	Penmaenmawr	1307	September 1870	April 1893
304	Hector	1308	September 1870	June 1892
308	Booth	1309	September 1870	May 1890
2001	Henry Crosfield	1380	April 1871	November 1890
2002	Madge	1381	April 1871	June 1891
2003	Alecto	1382	April 1871	June 1891
2004	Witch	1383	April 1871	May 1891
2005	Lynx	1384	April 1871	January 1894
2006	Princess	1385	April 1871	November 1890
1211	John Ramsbottom	1479	March 1872	November 1888
1212	Pioneer	1480	March 1872	November 1888
1213	The Queen	1481	April 1872	January 1892
1214	Prince Albert	1482	April 1872	November 1890
1215	Albion	1483	April 1872	April 1893
1216	Premier	1484	April 1872	November 1888
1217	Florence	1485	April 1872	April 1891
1218	Phaeton	1486	April 1872	November 1890
1219	Lightning	1487	April 1872	January 1888
1220	Belted Will	1488	April 1872	June 1887
1141	S. R. Graves	1682	1873	November 1888
941	Blenkinsop	1683	August 1873	October 1888
942	Shah of Persia	1684	August 1873	April 1893
974	Richard Cobden	1685	August 1873	January 1890
696	Director	1686	August 1873	November 1888
787	Clarendon	1687	August 1873	April 1893
790	Hardwicke	1688	August 1873	January 1892
1020	Wordsworth	1689	August 1873	May 1891
1132	North Western	1690	August 1873	June 1887
403	Isabella	1691	August 1873	January 1892

Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway

In 1873 ten locomotives of the type were built at Crewe for the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) and utilised on passenger expresses between Blackpool, Manchester and Yorkshire. They were given the numbers 456–462 and 731–733. Most were fitted with replacement boilers about and other standard L&YR parts 1888. They were then used on Liverpool−Manchester expresses on the new L&YR route. The more powerful Barton Wright 4-4-0s took over on the more demanding sections to Yorkshire though the Ramsbottom engines were considered faster on light loads. Most were withdrawn in the period 1895 to 1897 but Nos. 461, 462 and 731 lasted to 1904, 1912 and 1926 respectively. No. 731 had been used as the Chief Mechanical Engineer's (CME) locomotive since 1886, based at Horwich and attached to a combined bogied tender-saloon vehicle. It passed back to the LNWR when the L&YR amalgamation of 1922 and into the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) in 1923 at the grouping. It was scrapped when the LMS CME department moved to Derby.^[6][7]

Preservation

Even though no locomotive from the Newton class was saved for posterity. The Improved Precedent No. 790 Hardwicke (built 1892, LMS No. 5031, withdrawn 1932) currently sitting at National Railway Museum Shildon^[8] still display nameplates indicating 1873 as the year of build.