LMS Route: Rugby to Leamington Spa (Avenue)

LMS Route: Nuneaton to Leamington

LMS Route: Leamington to Weedon

Warwick (Milverton) Shed: lnwrwar_shed1440b

Close up of image 'lnwrwar_shed1440' showing ex-LNWR 2F 0-6-0 'Cauliflower' No 8455 standing alongside an unidentified ex-LNWR 7F 0-8-0 'Super D' in the late 1920s. The LMS lettering on the cab side and the running number on the tender was a practice of the former Midland Railway and because of that railway's dominance of the senior positions of the LMS were initially adopted into early LMS practice. Because of inter-railway rivalry Crewe was very reluctant to adopt Derby practices as a whole and resisted as best they could often on the pretext that they had to use up existing supplies. However, in this instance, they could legitimately point out a failing of the Midland's system as the problem with the engine's running number being on the tender was locomotives took longer to repair than tenders. Consequently if a tender was dedicated to one engine then during repairs the tender would remain unused for many weeks. The LNWR adopted the practice, shared by many other railways, of exchanging tenders after they had been repaired with the next engine repaired. With large classes this could result in significant fewer tenders being built than locomotives which clearly was a substantial saving of capital cost.

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