The London and North Western Railway Precedent Class was a class of seventy 2-4-0 steam locomotives originally designed for express passenger work.

History

They were designed by F. W. Webb and built by the LNWR's Crewe Works between 1874 and 1882. The numbering was haphazard – while the first twenty carried "new" numbers in a solid block, the remaining fifty were given numbers formerly carried by withdrawn locomotives. All seventy carried names from new, many of which had been used on withdrawn locomotives.

Between 1893 and 1901, sixty-two of the locomotives were "renewed" (i.e. replaced with new locomotives carrying the same number and name) as Improved Precedent class locomotives.

The remaining eight were rebuilt as Improved Precedents in the 1890s; they retained their 7⁄8 inch (22.2 mm) thick frames – the renewals had 1-inch (25.4 mm) frames.

Two of the unrenewed locomotives were scrapped in 1907, and two in the 1910s, with four passing to the London Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. They were allocated numbers 5000–5003 and were withdrawn between 1929 and 1934. The last of these, 5001 Snowdon, had 20000 added to its number six months before withdrawal in order to release its old number for an LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0.

Accidents and incidents

  • On 7 December 1925, locomotive 1170 General ran through a set of level crossing gates and struck a bus at Fenny Stratford; nine bus passengers died.

Fleet list

List of Locomotives
LNWR No.NameCrewe Works No.Date builtDate renewedDate scrappedNotes
2175Precedent1902Dec 1874Nov 1894
2176Robert Benson1903Feb 1875Feb 1896
2177Edward Tootal1904Mar 1875Aug 1895
2178Pluck1905Mar 1875Jan 1894
2179Patience1906Mar 1875May 1897
2180Perseverance1907Mar 1875Mar 1897
2181Buffalo1908Mar 1875July 1907Rebuilt 1887, 1893 and 1902
2182Giraffe1909Mar 1875Feb 1895
2183Antelope1910Mar 1875May 1895
2184Reynard1911Mar 1875May 1897
2185Alma1912Apr 1875Jan 1896
2186Lowther1913Apr 1875Jan 1896
2187Penrith Beacon1914Apr 1875Dec 1896
2188Chillington1915Apr 1875Feb 1895
2188Avon1916Apr 1875July 1897
2190Beatrice1917Apr 1875Jul 1932Renamed Lady Beatrice, then Princess Beatrice; rebuilt Nov 1895, to LMS 5000
2191Snowdon1918Apr 1875Oct 1934Rebuilt Nov 1892; to LMS 5001; renumbered 25001
2192Caradoc1919Apr 1875Jan 1894
2193Salopian1920May 1875Jan 1896
2194Cambrian1921May 1875Oct 1896
890Sir Hardman Earle2034Apr 1877Feb 1895
1177Princess Louise2035Apr 1877Mar 1896
857Prince Leopold2036Apr 1877Jul 1897
858Sir Salar Jung2037May 1877May 1897
861Amazon2038May 1877Sep 1901
860Merrie Carlisle2039May 1877Nov 1894
862Balmoral2040May 1877Jul 1897
863Meteor2041May 1877Oct 1907Rebuilt 1890s
864Pilot2042May 1877Mar 1896
865Envoy2043May 1877Jul 1894
866Courier2044May 1877Jan 1896
1189Stewart2045May 1877Jun 1897
883Phantom2046May 1877Aug 1894
1105Hercules2047May 1877Dec 1897
867Disraeli2048Jun 1877Jul 1894
868Condor2049Jun 1877Oct 1896
869Llewellyn2050Jun 1877Nov 1896
870Fairbairn2051Jun 1877Mar 1898
871Proserpine2052Jun 1877May 1894
872Wizard2053Jun 1877Aug 1895
1173The Auditor2219Aug 1878Jan 1894
1193Joshua Radcliffe2220Aug 1878Aug 1896
1194Miranda2221Sep 1878Dec 1896
749Mercury2222Sep 1878May 1895
517Marathon2223Sep 1878Jan 1896
1170General2224Sep 18781931Rebuilt 1890s; to LMS 5002
919Nasmyth2225Sep 1878Dec 1893
193Rocket2226Sep 1878Mar 1897
1183Plynlimmon2227Sep 1878Aug 1896
1187Chandos2228Sep 1878Jul 1896
619Mabel2400Oct 1880Feb 1896Exhibited at the Stephenson Centenary, 1881
789Breadalbane2401Oct 1880Jul 1894
477Caractacus2402Nov 1880Jan 1896
478Commodore2403Nov 1880Aug 1896
480Duchess of Lancaster2404Nov 1880Feb 1897
482Pegasus2405Nov 1880Jan 1894
506Sir Alexander Cockburn2406Nov 1880Jul 1896
512Lazonby2407Nov 1880Aug 1929Rebuilt 1890s; to LMS 5003
514Lawrence2408Nov 1880Oct 1895
945Humphrey Davy2409Nov 1880May 1895
253President Garfield2501Jan 1882Feb 1895
254President Lincoln2502Jan 1882Feb 1895
256President Washington2503Jan 1882Aug 1894
257Duke of Albany2504Jan 1882Apr 1915Rebuilt 1890s
260Duke of Connaught2505Jan 1882Oct 1895
262Wheatstone2506Jan 1882Jan 1897
264Buckland2507Jan 1882Jan 1896
265Thomas Carlisle2508Jan 1882Jul 1894
364Henry Pease2509Feb 1882Aug 1894
955Charles Dickens2510Feb 1882Oct 1912Rebuilt 1890s
  • Baxter, Bertram (1978). Baxter, David (ed.). British Locomotive Catalogue 1825–1923. Vol. 2A: London and North Western Railway and its constituent companies. Ashbourne, Derbyshire: Moorland Publishing Company. ISBN 0-903485-51-6.