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LMS Route: Rugby to Wolverhampton
LMS Route: Rugby to Leamington
LMS Route: Rugby to Tamworth
LMS Route: Rugby to Leicester
LMS Route: Rugby to Market Harborough

Rugby Station Pre-grouping Locomotives: lnwrrm825

LNWR 2P Precursor Tank 4-4-2T No 2077 passes under the GC Birdcage bridge on an up stopping train

LNWR Precursor Tank 4-4-2T No 2077 passes under the GC Birdcage bridge on an up stopping train circa 1919-23. The Precursor Tank was a member of a class of fifty 4-4-2 locomotives built between 1906 and 1909 to the design of George Whale. They were a tank engine version of his 4-4-0 Precursor class tender locomotives. The first thirty locomotives were built with 3 ft 9 inch bogie wheels whilst the last twenty had 3 ft 3 inch bogie wheels. The LNWR's habit of re-using numbers from withdrawn locomotives instead of blocks of numbers meant the numbering system was completely haphazard. Listed in the order they received their LMS numbers, the first thirty locomotives (with the 3 ft 9 inch bogie wheels) were LNWR Nos 528, 531, 784, 1295, 1305, 1981 to 1985, 97, 111, 181, 196, 562, 616, 803, 1356, 1508, 2210, 139, 653, 834, 874, 1506, 1572, 1589, 1671, 1714, and 2165.

The last twenty locomotives of the class were built with 3 ft 3 inch bogie wheels and these were numbered (in the order they received their LMS numbers) Nos 44, 527, 612, 762, 827, 875, 1427, 1764, 2196, 2446, 920, 935, 1164, 1219, 1523, 1536, 1551, 2077, 2223 and 2228. All fifty passed into LMS ownership in 1923 who allocated to them the power classification 2P. The LMS renumbered them consecutively using the numbers: No 6780 to No 6809 for the locomotives with 3 ft 9 inch bogie wheels and No 6810 to No 6829 for the locomotives with 3 ft 3 inch bogie wheels. The Precursor Tank locomotives were withdrawn between 1927 and 1940 with none being preserved. The locomotive seen above was built at Crewe works in March 1909 and remained in service until August 1936 when it was withdrawn from 5A Crewe (North) shed.

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