A number of different numbering and classification schemes were used for the locomotives owned by the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) and its constituent companies. This page explains the principal systems that were used. The following abbreviations for the constituent companies are used on this page:

Principal Constituents

Great Central Railway (GCR), Great Eastern Railway (GER), Great Northern Railway (GNR), Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR), Hull and Barnsley Railway (HBR), North British Railway (NBR), and North Eastern Railway (NER)

Minor Companies (absorbed between July 1923 and July 1924)

Colne Valley and Halstead Railway (CV&HR), East and West Yorkshire Union Railways (E&WYUR), and Mid-Suffolk Light Railway (MSLR)

Later Additions

Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway (M&GNJR) - absorbed October 1936

Ex-Metropolitan Railway steam locomotives (via the London Passenger Transport Board) - absorbed November 1937

For information about individual classes and locomotives, see: Locomotives of the London and North Eastern Railway

Numbering

Constituent Companies The constituent companies of the LNER operated no specific numbering system. Locomotives were numbered in a range starting from 1, with new locomotives being given numbers according to one of three different ways: New numbers at the end of the existing series; 'Significant numbers' (e.g. the first of the GER's new passenger locomotive class built from 1900 was numbered '1900', leaving many preceding numbers unused); or Filling in blanks left by the withdrawal of older locomotives, or their transfer to the 'duplicate list' (see below).

In the latter case, on the GER at least, some attempt was made to keep locomotives of the same class numbered in sequence. The GCR and GNoSR operated a strict policy of not permitting any gaps in the number series, nominally for accounting purposes, but this was not followed on other lines.

In 1922, the first step towards the 'Grouping' was taken, when the HBR was absorbed by the NER. At that time 3000 was added to the numbers of surviving HBR locomotives which left them well clear of the highest NER numbers then allocated (about 2350).

In almost all cases, the constituent companies used only steam locomotives. The NER had 13 electric lomotives, numbered 1-13, but this was in fact in the company's main locomotive list as the lowest-numbered steam locomotive was numbered 14. The NBR owned a petrol shunter, and this was numbered '1' in its own series.

Duplicate Lists 'Duplicate lists' were operated by most of the constituent companies in which older locomotives, whose capital costs had been written off but which were not yet ready for withdrawal, could be renumbered, releasing space in the main number range for new locomotives. A variety of different approaches to creating a duplicate list were employed:

GCR: 'B' suffix added GER: '0' prefix added GNR: 'A' suffix added GNoSR: 'A' suffix added NBR: 1000 added to original number NER: Use of duplicate list abandoned before Grouping

Post-Grouping Numbering When the LNER was created in 1923, it immediately set about finding a solution to the problem that many of its inherited locomotives carried the same numbers. The first solution, applied from September 1923 was to add a letter suffix to numbers that indicated the original owning company. The first column of the table below shows the letters applied in bold followed by an explanation of the letter in lighter type.

This solution was quickly abandoned as it meant that ex-NBR locomotives were carrying numbers that duplicated ex-GCR locomotives carried in their duplicate list. Indeed, this system would not have coped well with any of the locomotives in the constituent company's duplicate lists. Therefore, a new system was derived and applied from February 1924. This involved adding a multiple of thousands to each locomotive number, except: Ex-NER locomotives which retained their original number; Ex-HBR and ex-GCR duplicate list locomotives which were completely renumbered.

Other duplicate list locomotives were renumbered in the same manner as those in the capital list; i.e. with the prescribed multiple of thousands added, but retaining their prefix or suffix as appropriate. Departmental (non-revenue earning) locomotives continued to be numbered in their own, locally-applied, series.

The table below sets out the number ranges used for this system:

1923 Suffix1924 NumberingOriginsDarlington1-2404Ex-North Eastern Railway (numbers unchanged)Darlington2405–2542Ex-Hull & Barnsley Railway (renumbered in same order as when renumbered 3013-3161 by the NER)Northern3001-4770Ex-Great Northern Railway (3000 added to original number)Central5001-6494Ex-Great Central Railway (5000 added to original number, except Duplicate List locomotives renumbered to 6402-6494 in order of age, youngest first)Scotland6801-6915Ex-Great North of Scotland Railway (6800 added to original number)Eastern7001-8900Ex-Great Eastern Railway (7000 added to original number)British9001-10481Ex-North British Railway (9000 added to original number)

Note: At first, it was planned to renumber the ex-NBR duplicate list locomotives into blank numbers in the main ex-NBR series. This would have left the highest number allocated as 10050, but after only a handful of locomotives had been so treated, the scheme was abandoned and all duplicate list locomotives were renumbered with 9000 added to their original numbers.

Minor Companies The LNER also absorbed locomotives from a number of smaller railway companies. Their locomotive stock were renumbered as follows: Ex-CV&HR and MSLR: Being located in the ex-GER area, these locomotives took numbers 8312-8317, which were blank numbers in the GER series. Ex-E&WYUR: Being located in the ex-GNR area, these locomotives took numbers 3112-3115, which were blank numbers in the GNR series Ex-M&GNJR: These locomotives had a '0' added as a prefix to their numbers. Ex-Metropolitan Railway: Being located in the ex-GCR operating area, these locomotives took numbers 6154-6163 and 6415-6422 in the GCR series.

New Locomotives Immediately after Grouping, new engines were numbered in the series used by their constituent company that had ordered them; including the onward transfer of older locomotives to the appropriate duplicate list. Subsequently the new numbering systems of 1923 and 1924 were used in the same way.

Thereafter, new locomotives built to LNER designs were mostly numbered in blocks of unused numbers, keeping engines of the same class together. In general, the lowest available block of numbers were used (i.e. starting with the 2xxx numbers after the ex-HBR stock and moving upwards), but there were some exceptions: Some engines built for work in a specific area took numbers in the range used for engines of the appropriate constituent company. Some engines were given 'significant numbers' for publicity purposes, e.g. the experimental water tube boiler locomotive was allocated 10000, and the 'P2' class started at 2001.

There is evidence that there were cases where new engines were initially allocated numbers in one series according to one of the principles set out above, but these were changed before the engines were released into service in line with an alternative principle. For example, 'P2' class 2001 was originally allocated '2981' until it was decided to give it a 'significant number' instead.

1942 Renumbering In October 1942, a limited renumbering of locomotives was undertaken to clear numbers in the 8300-8900 series for reuse by new locomotives. The following locomotives were affected: Class1924 Numbers1942 NumbersE47407-7506 (18 survivors only)7791-7808F78301-8310 (6 survivors only)7593-7598Y1 & Y108400-84047772-7776Y118430-84317591-7592B128500-8580 (80 survivors only)7415-7494D15 & D168780-89007650-7770

However, this scheme was abandoned in early 1943, after only 38 locomotives had been renumbered. The reason was that new plans had been drawn up to carry out a wholesale renumbering of engines, as set out below. The engines that had been renumbered mostly continued to carry their 1942 numbers until the 1946 renumbering was implemented, though two reverted to their 1923 numbers to make way for new locomotive construction.

1944 Interim Renumbering In the interim period between the new numbering system being devised (See below) and it being applied to engines from 1946, a number of temporary renumberings were undertaken to keep things in order. These included: 3157-3167 (10 survivors only) renumbered 3180-3189 to make way for new freight engines. 4075 renumbered to the 'significant number' of 2000 following its refurbishment for dedicated use hauling officers' saloons (resulting in old 2000 becoming 2050). This engine was briefly numbered 1 after refurbishment, during which time old 1 became 4075 before reverting to 1. 8000-8011 renumbered 7978-7989 to make way for new diesel shunters.

1946 Renumbering The downside of the numbering system used by the LNER - and which had not been tackled by the 1942 renumbering - was that locomotives were carrying scattered numbers without reference to class, let alone type of locomotive. In 1943, a scheme was drawn up that would see a complete renumbering of the LNER stock, so that locomotives of the same class would be numbered together and placed in a series with classes of the same type. The renumbering scheme was based on the locomotives that were in stock as of 4 July 1943 but was not issued until December that year. Only three locomotives would retain their previous numbers: one (Class W1 no. 10000) by design, the other two (Class J3 nos. 4125/6) by coincidence. Due to the pressures of World War II, the scheme was not actually implemented until 1946, but the basic principles remained the same, as set out in the table below:

Number SeriesLocomotive TypePrincipal Wheel Arrangements1-999Express passenger tender locomotives4-6-2, 2-8-2 and large 2-6-21000-1999Six-coupled passenger and mixed traffic tender locomotives4-6-0, 2-6-0 and small 2-6-22000-2999Four-coupled passenger tender locomotives4-4-0, 4-4-2 and 2-4-03000-3999Eight-coupled freight tender locomotives0-8-0, 2-8-0 and 2-8-24000-5999Six-coupled freight tender locomotives0-6-06000-6999Electric locomotivesVarious types7000-7999Passenger tank locomotives2-4-2, 0-4-4, 4-4-2, 4-4-4 and 2-6-28000-8999Shunting tank locomotives (steam and diesel)0-4-0, 0-4-2 and 0-6-09000-9999Mixed traffic and freight tank locomotives0-6-2, 4-6-2 and other miscellaneous types10000Experimental Class W1 locomotive (retained 1924 number)4-6-4

In each class, individual engines were numbered in order of construction (with a small number of exceptions, most notably the 'A4' class where locomotives carrying the names of the LNER's directors were given 'significant numbers' 1-4).

Self-evidently the renumbering process was very complicated as the LNER was keen not to have two locomotives running in service with the same number. This meant renumbering engines whose new numbers were already vacant first and then following through the chain of renumberings.

There was a further complication in that part-way through the renumbering, there was a change of plan in terms of the numbers allocated in the 1-999 series (for reasons that are mostly unclear), the 1xxx series (to allow more space for new 'B1' class engines), and the 3xxx series (to allow more space for engines purchased from the War Department). This meant some of these engines were renumbered twice (106 in total - 59 of which were 'O1' or 'O4' engines). The changes were as follows: