# LNWR Samson Class

The LNWR Samson Class was a class of ninety 2-4-0 steam locomotives built by the London and North Western Railway at their Crewe Works between 1863 and 1879.
They were officially designated "Curved Link 6-ft Passenger" due to the use of Stephenson valve gear which included a curved expansion link between the fore and back eccentric rods (earlier LNWR designs had used the Allan valve gear which had a straight expansion link) and the use of 6-foot (1.829 m) diameter wheel centres, which, together with 1+1⁄2-inch (38 mm) thick tyres gave a driving wheel diameter of 6 feet 3 inches (1.905 m).
Ostensibly a mixed traffic design, they were the first locomotives with coupled driving wheels to be allocated for passenger duties on the LNWR.

## History

They were designed by John Ramsbottom who had fifty built, all without cabs and with pierced driving wheel splashers. Ramsbottom's successor F. W. Webb, built forty more, all with cabs. The earlier locomotives also gained cabs, and all eventually had their splashers filled in.
All ninety locomotives were 'renewed' (replaced) by a like number of Waterloo Class locomotives between 1889 and 1905, but only eighty were scrapped quickly. The ten exceptions were transferred to the Civil Engineer's list, and these were withdrawn between 1914 and 1925. No examples have been preserved.

## Fleet list

List of LNWR Samson class locomotives :
| LNWR No. | LNWR Name | Crewe Works No. | Date built | Date scrapped | Notes |
| 633 | Samson | 624 | May 1863 | January 1892 | |
| 634 | Ellesmere | 625 | May 1863 | December 1892 | |
| 733 | Chimera | 626 | May 1863 | January 1890 | |
| 735 | Charon | 627 | May 1863 | January 1892 | |
| 738 | Terrier | 628 | May 1863 | January 1890 | |
| 752 | Glowworm | 629 | May 1863 | December 1892 | |
| 757 | Banshee | 630 | May 1863 | January 1892 | |
| 758 | Hardman | 631 | May 1863 | January 1890 | |
| 763 | Violet | 632 | May 1863 | May 1893 | |
| 821 | Diomed | 633 | May 1863 | January 1892 | |
| 901 | Hero | 680 | January 1864 | October 1890 | |
| 902 | Onyx | 681 | February 1864 | March 1893 | |
| 628 | Tartarus | 682 | February 1864 | April 1894 | |
| 724 | Eden | 683 | February 1864 | December 1892 | |
| 748 | Waterloo | 684 | February 1864 | November 1889 | |
| 764 | Shap | 685 | February 1893 | December 1892 | |
| 792 | Theorem | 686 | February 1864 | June 1893 | |
| 793 | Martin | 687 | February 1864 | May 1894 | |
| 794 | Woodlark | 688 | March 1864 | August 1894 | |
| 795 | Falstaff | 689 | March 1864 | October 1893 | |
| 731 | Croxteth | 730 | July 1864 | November 1889 | |
| 732 | Hecla | 731 | July 1864 | August 1894 | |
| 736 | Memnon | 732 | July 1864 | January 1892 | |
| 737 | Roberts | 733 | July 1864 | May 1894 | |
| 739 | Sutherland | 734 | July 1864 | April 1894 | |
| 742 | Spitfire | 735 | July 1864 | December 1892 | |
| 828 | Tubal | 736 | July 1864 | July 1890 | |
| 829 | Turk | 737 | August 1864 | January 1892 | |
| 830 | Trent | 738 | August 1864 | January 1890 |
| 642 | Bee | 739 | August 1864 | August 1890 | |
| 81 | Greystock | 780 | January 1865 | January 1892 | Renamed Greystoke c.1884 |
| 1045 | Whitworth | 781 | January 1865 | September 1889 | |
| 401 | Zeno | 782 | January 1865 | March 1894 | |
| 404 | Zophyrus | 783 | January 1865 | March 1894 | |
| 418 | Zygia | 784 | January 1865 | December 1892 | |
| 419 | Zillah | 785 | February 1865 | January 1890 | |
| 35 | Talisman | 786 | February 1865 | October 1890 | |
| 36 | Thalaba | 787 | February 1865 | October 1890 | |
| 124 | Marquis Douro | 788 | February 1865 | December 1892 | |
| 231 | Firefly | 789 | February 1865 | June 1890 | |
| 609 | The Earl of Chester | 880 | January 1866 | April 1893 | |
| 632 | Ostrich | 881 | December 1865 | June 1890 | |
| 746 | Castor | 882 | January 1866 | 1894 | |
| 814 | Henrietta | 883 | January 1866 | January 1890 | |
| 817 | Constance | 884 | January 1866 | April 1893 | |
| 819 | Puck | 885 | January 1866 | December 1892 | |
| 824 | Adelaide | 886 | January 1866 | April 1893 | |
| 832 | Sanspareil | 887 | January 1866 | May 1893 | |
| 934 | North Star | 888 | January 1866 | March 1892 | |
| 935 | Planet | 889 | January 1866 | May 1893 | |
| 414 | Prospero | 1692 | September 1873 | | To duplicate list as 3271 in 1895; to Civil Engineer's Dept in 1903 as Engineer Lancaster; withdrawn 1924. |
| 424 | Sirius | 1693 | September 1873 | | To duplicate list as 3206 in 1895; to Civil Engineer's Dept in 1899 as Engineer Crewe; withdrawn 1914. |
| 604 | Narcissus | 1694 | September 1873 | November 1890 | |
| 635 | Zamiel | 1695 | September 1873 | January 1890 | |
| 636 | Eclipse | 1696 | September 1873 | April 1893 | |
| 285 | Phalaris | 1697 | September 1873 | December 1892 | |
| 444 | Typhoon | 1698 | September 1873 | November 1890 | |
| 445 | Ixion | 1699 | September 1873 | December 1892 | |
| 446 | Siren | 1700 | September 1873 | April 1893 | |
| 805 | Caliban | 1701 | September 1873 | April 1893 | |
| 434 | St. Patrick | 1842 | October 1871 | April 1890 | |
| 468 | Wildfire | 1843 | October 1874 | November 1890 | |
| 469 | St. George | 1844 | October 1874 | June 1893 | |
| 485 | Euxine | 1845 | October 1874 | December 1892 | |
| 486 | Skiddaw | 1846 | October 1874 | June 1893 | |
| 487 | John O’Groat | 1847 | October 1874 | | To duplicate list as 3199 in 1894; to Civil Engineer's Dept in 1895 as Spare Engine, to Engineer Liverpool in 1903; withdrawn 1921. |
| 631 | Hotspur | 1848 | October 1874 | | To duplicate list as 3273 in 1896; to Civil Engineer's Dept in 1901 as Engineer Manchester; withdrawn 1914. |
| 1163 | John O’Gaunt | 1849 | October 1874 | November 1894 | |
| 90 | Luck of Edenhall | 1850 | October 1874 | March 1894 | |
| 885 | Vampire | 1851 | October 1874 | | To duplicate list as 3269 in 1895; to Civil Engineer's Dept in 1897; became Spare Engine in 1923; withdrawn 1925. |
| 2150 | Atlas | 1852 | November 1874 | June 1893 | |
| 2151 | Baltic | 1853 | November 1874 | | To duplicate list as 3268 in 1895; to Civil Engineer's Dept in 1901 as Engineer Walsall; withdrawn 1923. |
| 2152 | Sybil | 1854 | November 1874 | March 1894 | |
| 2153 | Isis | 1855 | November 1874 | April 1893 | |
| 2154 | Loadstone | 1856 | November 1874 | November 1893 | |
| 2155 | Liver | 1857 | November 1874 | August 1894 | |
| 2156 | Sphinx | 1858 | November 1874 | November 1894 | |
| 2157 | Unicorn | 1859 | November 1874 | | To duplicate list as 3272 in 1895; to Civil Engineer's Dept in 1905 as Spare Engine; withdrawn 1923. |
| 2158 | Serpent | 1860 | January 1874 | August 1894 | |
| 2159 | Shark | 1861 | November 1874 | March 1894 | |
| 2350 | Centaur | 2279 | May 1879 | | Renumbered 773 in 1879; to duplicate list as 3200 in 1894; to Civil Engineer's Dept in 1895 as Engineer Watford; withdrawn 1923. |
| 2351 | Saddleback | 2280 | May 1879 | April 1893 | Renumbered 1162 in 1879. |
| 2352 | Odin | 2281 | May 1879 | November 1894 | Renumbered 1164 in 1879. |
| 2353 | Wyre | 2282 | June 1879 | | Renumbered 1166 in 1879; to duplicate list as 3270 in 1895; to Civil Engineer's Dept in 1902 as Engineer Bangor; withdrawn 1925. |
| 2354 | Cuckoo | 2283 | July 1879 | March 1894 | Renumbered 1168 in 1879. |
| 2355 | Kestrel | 2284 | May 1879 | November 1894 | Renumbered 852 in 1879. |
| 2356 | Petrel | 2285 | May 1879 | | Renumbered 209 in 1879; to duplicate list as 3198 in 1894, transferred to Civil Engineer's Dept in 1902 as Engineer Northampton; withdrawn 1923 |
| 2357 | Medea | 2286 | May 1879 | November 1894 | Renumbered 995 in 1879. |
| 2358 | Mastodon | 2287 | May 1879 | January 1892 | Renumbered 479 in 1879. |
| 2359 | Pheasant | 2288 | May 1879 | June 1894 | Renumbered 263 in 1879. |