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LNWR Precursor class 4-4-0 No 2064 'Jason' seems to be standing on the down Northampton line approaching Hillmorton Signal Cabin after crossing Crick Road and coming under the farmers bridge near Leys Road. In fact the photograph is a fake as its the same LNWR Corridor Coaching stock seen with LNWR Greater Britain Class 2-2-2-2 No 528 'Richard Moon' (see image 'lnwrrm3314') promoting the 2pm service provided by the LNWR. Derek Jenkins writes despite being faked 'the photograph gives a good impression of the West Coast corridor trains of the 1890s'. Philip Millard of the LNWR Society writes, 'The 42ft 0in and 45ft 0in carriages were already obsolesecent at the time when the photograph was taken in June 1897 because in July 1897 the first WCJS 50ft 0in designs emerged from Wolverton.' Bob Haddon writes, 'in the foreground is Hillmorton sidings known to railwaymen as "The Ballast Hole" but known by Hillmorton locals as "The Fog Hole"as it always held a fog bank in winter'.
Close up of image lnwrrm3314' showing London North Western Railway (LNWR) 4-4-0 Precursor class No 2064 'Jason' allegedly at the head of the LNWR Corridor Coaching stock. Designed by George Whale the LNWR 4-4-0 Precursor class was considered to be a very successful design and is now the object of a new build project by the LNWR George the Fifth Steam Locomotive Trust. We have reiterated below the Trust's description of the class and in the context of locomotive development on the LNWR for your information. A hundred years ago, the West Coast route was operated by the prestigious London & North Western Railway, the ‘Premier Line’ as it was called, and north of Carlisle, by the Caledonian Railway. About 100 years ago another transformation of West Coast railway travel was beginning. The LNWR was about to begin a programme of new locomotive and carriage building that would transform motive power and passenger carriages on this route from Victorian to early 20th century standards. It began in 1904 under the auspices of chief locomotive engineer, George Whale, and continued under Charles Bowen Cooke who took over in 1909, until he died in 1920. Francis William Webb, a great, innovative Victorian locomotive engineer, was a major exponent of compounding as a means of reducing costs. Trouble was his impressive-looking express locomotives, with tall chimneys and large rounded domes, liveried in highly polished ‘blackberry black’, lined out in scarlet, cream and grey, were increasingly obsolete. His Victorian fleet of locomotives included small ‘Jumbo’ 2-4-0 engines and, dating from the 1890s, imposing compound 4-4-0 and 2-2-2-2 locomotives. With the exception of the amazing 'Teutonics' and 'Dreadnoughts' most of these were unreliable and sluggish and had to be coupled together in pairs to haul increasingly heavy and well equipped trains on the West Coast route. In the late 19th century the loadings of express passenger trains increased by the provision of better train heating, electric light, dining cars, tea cars, corridor stock, and so on. Bigger engines were needed to pull them. In 1904 following Webb's retirement, the LNWR embarked upon a massive programme of locomotive and carriage building that was to transform this railway and bring it into the 20th century. The newly appointed Chief Mechanical Engineer, George Whale, undertook a whole new generation of locomotives. His handsome 'Precursor', a relatively simple, compact but powerful 4-4-0, basically a much enlarged 'Jumbo', was the first of a succession of locomotives that would be streets ahead of its predecessors. Then in 1910 and 1911 respectively, the brilliant Charles John Bowen Cooke, following Continental European and US practice, superheated these locomotives and modernised their front ends, calling them the Fifth George the Class after the first built (LNWR practice). British locomotive engineers at that time were keenly interested in the latest steam engine technology from Germany, France and America. The 'George the Fifth' was perhaps the most successful 4-4-0 of its time — an amazing little locomotive with huge power for its size. It was more than 25 per cent more powerful than the similarly sized Precursor. Outstanding performers, for power output in relation to size and cost, they were one of the most successful designs of their day On this basis, the ‘Georges’ were the equal of the best GWR Churchward engines and certainly cost far less to build. A total of 90 were built at Crewe between 1910 and 1915. Ten of these were the non-superheated 'Queen Mary' class which were soon absorbed into the George the Fifth class once the advantages of superheated became clear. The compact and elegant 4-4-0s continued to haul West Coast passenger traffic into the late 1920s. LNWR express locomotives were gradually superseded by Sir Henry Fowler's large-boilered 'Claughtons', 'Patriots' and 'Royal Scots'. Then, in the mid 1930s, Sir William Stanier introduced modern taper-boilered Pacifics and 4-6-0s based on GWR practice. Now relegated to secondary duties, for a while, surviving 4-4-0 Precursor and George the Fifth locomotives headed fast trains from Euston to Watford, Berkhamsted, Tring and Bletchley. Part of the reason why few lasted beyond the 1930s was that they could be flogged so hard, which shortened their operational life-span. Also, LNWR locomotives and practice was little favoured under the regime of Midland Railway traditions that dominated the first years of the LMS. Yet, despite the ignominy of being relegated to secondary duties and their harsh treatment, the George the Fifths and Precursors in their final years could still perform amazing feats rivalling larger and more modern engines. Bill Broadbent once wrote of his experiences of 'Ptarmigan' in 1928: ' It was a grey afternoon in 1928 and my raconteur sat on the precarious perch provided by Bowen Cooke for drivers of his super-heated 4-4-0s. Ptarmigan, not yet committed to the excursion siding at Llandudno Junction, stood alongside the horse dock on Crewe station pilot duties. As he saw the loco arranger crossing the tracks towards him he looked at his watch and guessed half the situation when it told him that the up ‘Scot’ was ten minutes late. The remainder was soon revealed - 6104 was limping in with a middle cylinder bye-pass valve failure, and seven minutes later Ptarmigan was running back on to the stationary train at Crewe North box home signal. Train tare weight was 420 tons, quite a respectable load in itself, but, according to head office instructions, as No 6104's wheels would still circulate she must not be taken off the train, so, twenty-two minutes late, the ‘Precursor’ shouldered her load of 550 tons and sent the sparks so high climbing Whitmore that they came down cold. The run must have been stirring indeed: twenty-four late at Whitmore, twenty-two at Stafford, fifteen at Rugby and nine at Watford. With a slight check outside Euston the ‘Royal Scot’ drew in eight down. What amazing feats of prowess those ‘Wessies’ could achieve. With these nostalgic thoughts of a colourful era I looked idly over to the horse dock, and saw a ‘Midland 2' nosing up to the buffer stop - ah well, they don't fit bye-pass valves nowadays.' Worn out and with LNWR practice out of favour, withdrawals commenced in 1935, and by 1939 only 9 engines remained. British Railways inherited just 3 LNWR express engines in 1948. All had succumbed to the cutter's torch by May of that year with the sole remaining Precursor, 'Sirocco' soldiering on until 1949. Just before they were cut up, 'Sirocco', the last Prince of Wales and Claughton No 6004 formerly 'Princess Louise' were lined up in 1948 for a photograph at Crewe Works where they were built, in the hope that they'd be saved. Sadly, it was not to be and the last remaining 20th century LNWR express engines were duly despatched. Ten years later and it might have been a different story. The time is ripe to write a new chapter!
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