The LNWR Newton Class was a class of ninety-six steam locomotives built by the London and North Western Railway at their Crewe Works between 1866 and 1873.
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 diameter wheel centres, which, together with thick tyres gave a driving wheel diameter of .
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.
All were 'renewed' (replaced) by a like number of LNWR Improved Precedent Class between 1887 and 1894.
Fleet list
+ LNWRNo. Name CreweWorksNo. Date built Date scrapped Notes 1480 Newton 920 1481 The Duke of Edinburgh 921 Was to have been named Franklin 1482 Herschel 922 1483 Newcomen 923 1484 Telford 924 1485 Smeaton 925 1486 Dalton 926 1487 Faraday 927 1488 Murdoch 928 1489 Brindley 929 1513 Shakespeare 980 1514 Scott 981 1515 Milton 982 1516 Byron 983 1517 Princess Helena 984 1518 Countess 985 1519 Duchess 986 1520 Franklin 987 1521 Gladstone 988 1522 Pitt 989 1523 Marlborough 990 1524 Wolfe 991 1525 Abercrombie 992 1526 Drake 993 1527 Raleigh 994 1528 Frobisher 995 1529 Cook 996 1530 Columbus 997 1531 Cromwell 998 1532 Hampden 999 1666 Ariadne 1160 1667 Corunna 1161 1668 Dagmar 1162 1669 Ilion 1163 1670 Ganymede 1164 1671 Shamrock 1165 1672 Talavera 1166 1673 Lucknow 1167 1674 Delhi 1168 1675 Vimiera 1169 1676 The Nile 1170 1677 Badajos 1171 1678 Airey 1172 1679 Bunsen 1173 1680 Livingstone 1174 1681 Minerva 1175 1682 Novelty 1176 1683 Sisyphus 1177 1684 Speke 1178 1685 Gladiator 1179 1744 Magdala 1280 1745 John Bright 1281 1746 Bevere 1282 1747 Tennyson 1283 John Mayall from 1885 1748 Britannia 1284 1749 Hibernia 1285 379 Sedgwick 1286 380 Quernmore 1287 381 Patterdale 1288 382 Buckingham 1289 393 Brougham 1300 394 Eamont 1301 395 Scotia 1302 396 Dunrobin 1303 Tennyson from 1885 271 Minotaur 1304 275 Vulcan 1305 276 Pluto 1306 295 Penmaenmawr 1307 304 Hector 1308 308 Booth 1309 2001 Henry Crosfield 1380 2002 Madge 1381 2003 Alecto 1382 2004 Witch 1383 2005 Lynx 1384 2006 Princess 1385 1211 John Ramsbottom 1479 1212 Pioneer 1480 1213 The Queen 1481 1214 Prince Albert 1482 1215 Albion 1483 1216 Premier 1484 1217 Florence 1485 1218 Phaeton 1486 1219 Lightning 1487 1220 Belted Will 1488 1141 S. R. Graves 1682 941 Blenkinsop 1683 942 Shah of Persia 1684 974 Richard Cobden 1685 696 Director 1686 787 Clarendon 1687 790 Hardwicke 1688 1020 Wordsworth 1689 1132 North Western 1690 403 Isabella 1691
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 s 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.
Preservation Even though no locomotive from the Newton class was saved for posterity, their legacy is still carried on via a nameplate of one of their succeeding designs. The Improved Precedent No. 790 (later LMS No. 5031 Hardwicke (built April 1892 and withdrawn February 1932) currently sitting at the National Railway Museum Shildon still display nameplates indicating 1873 as the year of build.
References