# LNWR Precedent Class

The London and North Western Railway Precedent Class was a class of seventy 2-4-0 steam locomotives originally designed for express passenger work.

## History

They were designed by F. W. Webb and built by the LNWR's Crewe Works between 1874 and 1882. The numbering was haphazard – while the first twenty carried "new" numbers in a solid block, the remaining fifty were given numbers formerly carried by withdrawn locomotives. All seventy carried names from new, many of which had been used on withdrawn locomotives.
Between 1893 and 1901, sixty-two of the locomotives were "renewed" (i.e. replaced with new locomotives carrying the same number and name) as Improved Precedent class locomotives.
The remaining eight were rebuilt as Improved Precedents in the 1890s; they retained their 7⁄8 inch (22.2 mm) thick frames – the renewals had 1-inch (25.4 mm) frames.
Two of the unrenewed locomotives were scrapped in 1907, and two in the 1910s, with four passing to the London Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. They were allocated numbers 5000–5003 and were withdrawn between 1929 and 1934. The last of these, 5001 Snowdon, had 20000 added to its number six months before withdrawal in order to release its old number for an LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0.

## Accidents and incidents

* On 7 December 1925, locomotive 1170 General ran through a set of level crossing gates and struck a bus at Fenny Stratford; nine bus passengers died.

## Fleet list

List of Locomotives :
| LNWR No. | Name | Crewe Works No. | Date built | Date renewed | Date scrapped | Notes |
| 2175 | Precedent | 1902 | Dec 1874 | Nov 1894 | — | |
| 2176 | Robert Benson | 1903 | Feb 1875 | Feb 1896 | — | |
| 2177 | Edward Tootal | 1904 | Mar 1875 | Aug 1895 | — | |
| 2178 | Pluck | 1905 | Mar 1875 | Jan 1894 | — | |
| 2179 | Patience | 1906 | Mar 1875 | May 1897 | — | |
| 2180 | Perseverance | 1907 | Mar 1875 | Mar 1897 | — | |
| 2181 | Buffalo | 1908 | Mar 1875 | — | July 1907 | Rebuilt 1887, 1893 and 1902 |
| 2182 | Giraffe | 1909 | Mar 1875 | Feb 1895 | — | |
| 2183 | Antelope | 1910 | Mar 1875 | May 1895 | — | |
| 2184 | Reynard | 1911 | Mar 1875 | May 1897 | — | |
| 2185 | Alma | 1912 | Apr 1875 | Jan 1896 | — | |
| 2186 | Lowther | 1913 | Apr 1875 | Jan 1896 | — | |
| 2187 | Penrith Beacon | 1914 | Apr 1875 | Dec 1896 | — | |
| 2188 | Chillington | 1915 | Apr 1875 | Feb 1895 | — | |
| 2188 | Avon | 1916 | Apr 1875 | July 1897 | — | |
| 2190 | Beatrice | 1917 | Apr 1875 | — | Jul 1932 | Renamed Lady Beatrice, then Princess Beatrice; rebuilt Nov 1895, to LMS 5000 |
| 2191 | Snowdon | 1918 | Apr 1875 | — | Oct 1934 | Rebuilt Nov 1892; to LMS 5001; renumbered 25001 |
| 2192 | Caradoc | 1919 | Apr 1875 | Jan 1894 | — | |
| 2193 | Salopian | 1920 | May 1875 | Jan 1896 | — | |
| 2194 | Cambrian | 1921 | May 1875 | Oct 1896 | — | |
| 890 | Sir Hardman Earle | 2034 | Apr 1877 | Feb 1895 | — | |
| 1177 | Princess Louise | 2035 | Apr 1877 | Mar 1896 | — | |
| 857 | Prince Leopold | 2036 | Apr 1877 | Jul 1897 | — | |
| 858 | Sir Salar Jung | 2037 | May 1877 | May 1897 | — | |
| 861 | Amazon | 2038 | May 1877 | Sep 1901 | — | |
| 860 | Merrie Carlisle | 2039 | May 1877 | Nov 1894 | — | |
| 862 | Balmoral | 2040 | May 1877 | Jul 1897 | — | |
| 863 | Meteor | 2041 | May 1877 | — | Oct 1907 | Rebuilt 1890s |
| 864 | Pilot | 2042 | May 1877 | Mar 1896 | — | |
| 865 | Envoy | 2043 | May 1877 | Jul 1894 | — | |
| 866 | Courier | 2044 | May 1877 | Jan 1896 | — | |
| 1189 | Stewart | 2045 | May 1877 | Jun 1897 | — | |
| 883 | Phantom | 2046 | May 1877 | Aug 1894 | — | |
| 1105 | Hercules | 2047 | May 1877 | Dec 1897 | — | |
| 867 | Disraeli | 2048 | Jun 1877 | Jul 1894 | — | |
| 868 | Condor | 2049 | Jun 1877 | Oct 1896 | — | |
| 869 | Llewellyn | 2050 | Jun 1877 | Nov 1896 | — | |
| 870 | Fairbairn | 2051 | Jun 1877 | Mar 1898 | — | |
| 871 | Proserpine | 2052 | Jun 1877 | May 1894 | — | |
| 872 | Wizard | 2053 | Jun 1877 | Aug 1895 | — | |
| 1173 | The Auditor | 2219 | Aug 1878 | Jan 1894 | — | |
| 1193 | Joshua Radcliffe | 2220 | Aug 1878 | Aug 1896 | — | |
| 1194 | Miranda | 2221 | Sep 1878 | Dec 1896 | — | |
| 749 | Mercury | 2222 | Sep 1878 | May 1895 | — | |
| 517 | Marathon | 2223 | Sep 1878 | Jan 1896 | — | |
| 1170 | General | 2224 | Sep 1878 | — | 1931 | Rebuilt 1890s; to LMS 5002 |
| 919 | Nasmyth | 2225 | Sep 1878 | Dec 1893 | — | |
| 193 | Rocket | 2226 | Sep 1878 | Mar 1897 | — | |
| 1183 | Plynlimmon | 2227 | Sep 1878 | Aug 1896 | — | |
| 1187 | Chandos | 2228 | Sep 1878 | Jul 1896 | — | |
| 619 | Mabel | 2400 | Oct 1880 | Feb 1896 | — | Exhibited at the Stephenson Centenary, 1881 |
| 789 | Breadalbane | 2401 | Oct 1880 | Jul 1894 | — | |
| 477 | Caractacus | 2402 | Nov 1880 | Jan 1896 | — | |
| 478 | Commodore | 2403 | Nov 1880 | Aug 1896 | — | |
| 480 | Duchess of Lancaster | 2404 | Nov 1880 | Feb 1897 | — | |
| 482 | Pegasus | 2405 | Nov 1880 | Jan 1894 | — | |
| 506 | Sir Alexander Cockburn | 2406 | Nov 1880 | Jul 1896 | — | |
| 512 | Lazonby | 2407 | Nov 1880 | — | Aug 1929 | Rebuilt 1890s; to LMS 5003 |
| 514 | Lawrence | 2408 | Nov 1880 | Oct 1895 | — | |
| 945 | Humphrey Davy | 2409 | Nov 1880 | May 1895 | — | |
| 253 | President Garfield | 2501 | Jan 1882 | Feb 1895 | — | |
| 254 | President Lincoln | 2502 | Jan 1882 | Feb 1895 | — | |
| 256 | President Washington | 2503 | Jan 1882 | Aug 1894 | — | |
| 257 | Duke of Albany | 2504 | Jan 1882 | — | Apr 1915 | Rebuilt 1890s |
| 260 | Duke of Connaught | 2505 | Jan 1882 | Oct 1895 | — | |
| 262 | Wheatstone | 2506 | Jan 1882 | Jan 1897 | — | |
| 264 | Buckland | 2507 | Jan 1882 | Jan 1896 | — | |
| 265 | Thomas Carlisle | 2508 | Jan 1882 | Jul 1894 | — | |
| 364 | Henry Pease | 2509 | Feb 1882 | Aug 1894 | — | |
| 955 | Charles Dickens | 2510 | Feb 1882 | — | Oct 1912 | Rebuilt 1890s |