Throughout its existence the London and North Western Railway re-used the numbers and names of withdrawn locomotives on new ones as they came out of Crewe Works. This resulted in each class of locomotives being allotted numbers virtually at random, with names that adhered to no discernible theme. By 1911 new locomotives were being produced at a much faster rate than old ones were being scrapped, and it became necessary to introduce a new set of names for Bowen Cooke’s 4-6-0 express engines which were beginning to enter service.
On 13 July 1911 Prince Edward, the future King Edward VIII, was invested as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle. The investiture gave the LNWR an opportunity to name the first of the locomotives (and the class) in honour of the new Prince. A further nine engines were built during 1911 and given names associated with ships of the Royal Navy, in keeping with the patriotic sentiments of the time.
The second batch of 30 locomotives of 1913 and early 1914 commemorated British, European and American poets and novelists of the 18th and 19th centuries. The final engine of the batch was named G. P. Neele in honour of the former LNWR Superintendent of the Line, who had retired in 1895.
The ten engines produced in 1915 were given the names of the leaders of Britain’s allies in the Great War, and the names of two soldiers, a sailor, and a nurse who had been executed by the Germans. By the beginning of 1916 sufficient engines had been scrapped to enable the re-use of historical LNWR names. However in March and April of that year three locomotives were named in remembrance of the ill-fated campaign in the Dardanelles, and seven were named to commemorate maritime losses of 1915 and 1916.
The next batch of locomotives entered service in January 1919, by which time a decision had been taken not to allocate names until matters had returned to normal after the war. It was not until 1922 that another twelve engines were given names taken from former LNWR engines.
During 1921 and 1922 a further 90 locomotives of the class were built by William Beardmore and Company at Dalmuir. These remained nameless.
Following the absorption of the LNWR into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923, the LMS Rolling Stock Committee at Derby issued Minute no. 53 on 31 May 1923 which announced that in conformity with former Midland Railway practices
“Passenger engines and coaching stock to be painted in old Midland crimson lake, goods engines to be black without lining – new engines not to be named but those with names will continue to do so.”
One of the last locomotives to be named at Crewe was No. 5753 Premier, a clear reference to the LNWR slogan of being "the Premier Line", and a final and defiant gesture aimed at the new management in Derby.
The LMS renumbered all of the Prince of Wales in a block from 5600 to 5844, but not in exactly the same order that the locomotives had been built. A final locomotive was built by Beardmore in February 1924, which was displayed at the British Empire Exhibition that year; the LMS bought it in November 1924, and numbered it 5845.
| LNWR Number | Maker | Works No. |
Name | Entered Service | LMS Number | Date withdrawn |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 819 | Crewe | 5030 | Prince of Wales | October 1911 | 5600 | October 1933 | |
| 1388 | Crewe | 5031 | Andromeda | October 1911 | 5601 | March 1935 | |
| 1452 | Crewe | 5032 | Bonaventure | October 1911 | 5602 | June 1937 | |
| 1454 | Crewe | 5033 | Coquette | November 1911 | 5603 | January 1935 | |
| 1537 | Crewe | 5034 | Enchantress | November 1911 | 5604 | October 1934 | |
| 1691 | Crewe | 5035 | Pathfinder | November 1911 | 5605 | November 1934 | |
| 1704 | Crewe | 5036 | Conqueror | November 1911 | 5606 | October 1933 | |
| 1721 | Crewe | 5037 | Defiance | November 1911 | 5607 | December 1934 | |
| 2021 | Crewe | 5038 | Wolverine | December 1911 | 5608 | February 1935 | |
| 2359 | Crewe | 5039 | Hermione | December 1911 | 5609 | October 1933 | |
| 362 | Crewe | 5167 | Robert Southey | October 1913 | 5610 | October 1933 | |
| 892 | Crewe | 5168 | Charles Wolfe | October 1913 | 5611 | June 1935 | |
| 1081 | Crewe | 5169 | John Keats | October 1913 | 5612 | January 1936 | |
| 1089 | Crewe | 5170 | Sydney Smith | October 1913 | 5613 | February 1935 | |
| 1134 | Crewe | 5171 | Victor Hugo | October 1913 | 5614 | December 1934 | |
| 2040 | Crewe | 5172 | Oliver Goldsmith | November 1913 | 5615 | March 1935 | |
| 2075 | Crewe | 5173 | Robert Burns | November 1913 | 5616 | November 1934 | |
| 2198 | Crewe | 5174 | John Ruskin | November 1913 | 5620 | March 1936 | |
| 2205 | Crewe | 5175 | Thomas Moore | November 1913 | 5621 | August 1934 | |
| 2213 | Crewe | 5176 | Charles Kingsley | November 1913 | 5622 | October 1933 | |
| 321 | Crewe | 5177 | Henry W. Longfellow | November 1913 | 5617 | January 1935 | |
| 479 | Crewe | 5178 | Thomas B. Macaulay | December 1913 | 5618 | February 1935 | |
| 951 | Crewe | 5179 | Bulwer Lytton | December 1913 | 5619 | August 1934 | |
| 1679 | Crewe | 5180 | Lord Byron | December 1913 | 5623 | May 1935 | |
| 2249 | Crewe | 5181 | Thomas Campbell | December 1913 | 5624 | March 1937 | |
| 2283 | Crewe | 5182 | Robert L. Stevenson | December 1913 | 5625 | December 1936 | |
| 307 | Crewe | 5183 | R. B. Sheridan | December 1913 | 5628 | November 1934 | |
| 637 | Crewe | 5184 | Thomas Gray | December 1913 | 5629 | December 1934 | |
| 979 | Crewe | 5185 | W. M. Thackeray | January 1914 | 5630 | September 1934 | |
| 1400 | Crewe | 5186 | Felicia Hemans | January 1914 | 5631 | June 1936 | |
| 86 | Crewe | 5187 | Mark Twain | January 1914 | 5626 | May 1936 | |
| 146 | Crewe | 5188 | Lewis Carroll | January 1914 | 5627 | July 1936 | |
| 964 | Crewe | 5189 | Bret Harte | February 1914 | 5632 | September 1933 | |
| 985 | Crewe | 5190 | Sir W. S. Gilbert | February 1914 | 5633 | August 1935 | |
| 1321 | Crewe | 5191 | William Cowper | February 1914 | 5634 | September 1934 | |
| 2152 | Crewe | 5192 | Charles Lamb | February 1914 | 5635 | March 1934 | |
| 2293 | Crewe | 5193 | Percy Bysshe Shelley | February 1914 | 5636 | January 1935 | |
| 2377 | Crewe | 5194 | Edward Gibbon | February 1914 | 5637 | December 1936 | |
| 2443 | Crewe | 5195 | Charles James Lever | March 1914 | 5638 | April 1936 | |
| 2520 | Crewe | 5196 | G. P. Neele | March 1914 | 5639 | October 1933 | |
| 136 | NBL | 21256 | Minerva | October 1915 | 5663 | January 1935 | |
| 173 | NBL | 21257 | Livingstone | October 1915 | 5664 | February 1935 | |
| 257 | NBL | 21258 | Plynlimmon | November 1915 | 5666 | September 1934 | |
| 446 | NBL | 21259 | Pegasus | November 1915 | 5668 | August 1935 | |
| 1749 | NBL | 21260 | Precedent | November 1915 | 5677 | January 1935 | |
| 2063 | NBL | 21261 | Hibernia | November 1915 | 5679 | May 1935 | |
| 2175 | NBL | 21262 | Loadstone | November 1915 | 5680 | June 1937 | |
| 2203 | NBL | 21263 | Falstaff | November 1915 | 5681 | June 1935 | |
| 2300 | NBL | 21264 | Hotspur | December 1915 | 5687 | September 1934 | |
| 2392 | NBL | 23265 | Caliban | December 1915 | 5689 | September 1936 | |
| 90 | NBL | 21266 | Kestrel | December 1915 | 5660 | August 1936 | |
| 401 | NBL | 21267 | Zamiel | December 1915 | 5667 | November 1934 | |
| 525 | NBL | 21268 | Vulcan | December 1915 | 5669 | April 1937 | |
| 610 | NBL | 21269 | Albion | December 1915 | 5670 | October 1935 | |
| 867 | NBL | 21270 | Condor | January 1916 | 5672 | December 1936 | Name removed, July 1933 |
| 1132 | NBL | 21271 | Scott | January 1916 | 5674 | February 1946 | |
| 1466 | NBL | 21272 | Sphinx | January 1916 | 5675 | August 1936 | |
| 1744 | NBL | 21273 | Petrel | January 1916 | 5676 | April 1935 | |
| 2055 | NBL | 21274 | Milton | January 1916 | 5678 | April 1935 | |
| 2339 | NBL | 21275 | Samson | January 1916 | 5682 | April 1935 | Name removed, July 1933 |
| 27 | Crewe | 5297 | General Joffre | October 1915 | 5640 | February 1937 | |
| 88 | Crewe | 5298 | Czar of Russia | October 1915 | 5641 | September 1936 | |
| 122 | Crewe | 5299 | King of the Belgians | November 1915 | 5642 | March 1936 | |
| 160 | Crewe | 5300 | King of Serbia | November 1915 | 5643 | October 1934 | |
| 185 | Crewe | 5301 | King of Italy | November 1915 | 5644 | March 1936 | |
| 877 | Crewe | 5302 | Raymond Poincaré | November 1915 | 5645 | June 1936 | |
| 1333 | Crewe | 5303 | Sir John French | November 1915 | 5646 | December 1934 | |
| 2275 | Crewe | 5304 | Edith Cavell | November 1915 | 5647 | January 1935 | |
| 2396 | Crewe | 5305 | Queen of the Belgians | December 1915 | 5648 | October 1948 | |
| 2408 | Crewe | 5306 | Admiral Jellicoe | December 1915 | 5649 | October 1933 | |
| 606 | Crewe | 5307 | Castor | January 1916 | 5650 | April 1936 | |
| 745 | Crewe | 5308 | Pluto | January 1916 | 5651 | July 1934 | |
| 352 | Crewe | 5309 | The Nile | January 1916 | 5653 | October 1935 | |
| 379 | Crewe | 5310 | Witch | January 1916 | 5654 | March 1935 | |
| 484 | Crewe | 5311 | Smeaton | January 1916 | 5655 | December 1934 | |
| 810 | Crewe | 5312 | Onyx | January 1916 | 5652 | September 1933 | |
| 884 | Crewe | 5313 | Shark | January 1916 | 5656 | August 1938 | |
| 346 | Crewe | 5314 | Trent | January 1916 | 5657 | April 1936 | |
| 417 | Crewe | 5315 | Atlas | January 1916 | 5658 | October 1935 | Name removed, July 1933 |
| 442 | Crewe | 5316 | Odin | February 1916 | 5659 | March 1935 | |
| 95 | Crewe | 5317 | Gallipoli | March 1916 | 5661 | February 1935 | |
| 126 | Crewe | 5318 | Anzac | March 1916 | 5662 | August 1936 | |
| 233 | Crewe | 5319 | Suvla Bay | March 1916 | 5665 | April 1936 | |
| 849 | Crewe | 5320 | Arethusa | March 1916 | 5671 | December 1936 | Name removed, September 1936 |
| 1100 | Crewe | 5321 | Lusitania | March 1916 | 5673 | January 1949 | |
| 1324 | Crewe | 5322 | Falaba | April 1916 | 5683 | January 1946 | |
| 2092 | Crewe | 5323 | Arabic | April 1916 | 5684 | March 1936 | |
| 2276 | Crewe | 5234 | Persia | April 1916 | 5685 | August 1936 | |
| 2295 | Crewe | 5325 | Anglia | April 1916 | 5686 | November 1934 | |
| 2340 | Crewe | 5326 | Tara | April 1916 | 5688 | September 1933 | |
| 940 | Crewe | 5444 | Richard Cobden | January 1919 | 5697 | July 1936 | Named in 1922 |
| 621 | Crewe | 5447 | Telford | February 1919 | 5700 | March 1936 | Named in 1922 |
| 1584 | Crewe | 5451 | Scotia | March 1919 | 5704 | September 1936 | Named in 1922 |
| 504 | Crewe | 5453 | Canning | March 1919 | 5706 | December 1936 | Named in 1922 |
| 974 | Crewe | 5454 | Hampden | March 1919 | 5707 | April 1935 | Named in 1922 |
| 522 | Crewe | 5470 | Stentor | June 1919 | 5723 | January 1936 | Named in 1922 |
| 1290 | Crewe | 5475 | Lucknow | July 1919 | 5729 | February 1935 | Named in 1922 |
| 1325 | Crewe | 5483 | Disraeli | August 1919 | 5736 | June 1935 | Named in 1922 |
| 1178 | Crewe | 5489 | Prince Albert | September 1919 | 5743 | September 1934 | Named in 1922 |
| 1542 | Crewe | 5597 | Marathon | November 1919 | 5750 | March 1936 | Named in 1922 |
| 1694 | Crewe | 5500 | Premier | November 1919 | 5753 | February 1936 | Named in 1922 |
| 2516 | Crewe | 5501 | Dalton | November 1919 | 5754 | May 1935 | Named in 1922 |
References
edit- Baxter, Bertram (1979). Baxter, David (ed.). British Locomotive Catalogue 1825–1923, Volume 2B: London and North Western Railway and its constituent companies. Ashbourne, Derbyshire: Moorland Publishing Company. pp. 275–285. ISBN 0-903485-84-2.
- Goodman, Rev. John (1994). LMS Locomotive Names. Railway Correspondence and Travel Society. ISBN 0-901115-79-7.
- Nock, O. S. (1966). The LNWR Precursor Family. David and Charles (Publishers) Ltd.
- Nock, O. S. (1952). The Premier Line. Ian Allan.
- Yeadon, W. B. (2008). LNWR Locomotives 1912–1949. Challenger Publications. ISBN 978-1-901945-90-4.