# LNWR Newton Class

The LNWR Newton Class was a class of ninety-six 2-4-0 steam locomotives built by the London and North Western Railway at their Crewe Works between 1866 and 1873.
They were officially designated Curved Link 6-ft 6-in Passenger due to the use of a curved link between the fore and back eccentric rods of their Stephenson valve gear and the use of 6-foot-6-inch (1.981 m) diameter wheel centres, which, together with 1+1⁄2-inch (38 mm) thick tyres gave a driving wheel diameter of 6 ft 9 in (2.057 m).
They were designed by John Ramsbottom who had 76 built, all without cabs and with pierced driving wheel splashers. Ramsbottom's successor F. W. Webb, built twenty more, all with cabs. The earlier locomotives also gained cabs, and all eventually had the splashers filled in.
All were 'renewed' (replaced) by a like number of LNWR Improved Precedent Class between 1887 and 1894.

## Fleet list

Table of locomotives :
| LNWR No. | Name | Crewe Works No. | Date built | Date scrapped | Notes |
| 1480 | Newton | 920 | April 1866 | November 1888 | |
| 1481 | The Duke of Edinburgh | 921 | June 1866 | October 1888 | Was to have been named Franklin |
| 1482 | Herschel | 922 | May 1866 | January 1890 | |
| 1483 | Newcomen | 923 | May 1866 | March 1890 | |
| 1484 | Telford | 924 | May 1866 | November 1890 | |
| 1485 | Smeaton | 925 | May 1866 | December 1887 | |
| 1486 | Dalton | 926 | May 1866 | March 1890 | |
| 1487 | Faraday | 927 | May 1866 | June 1887 | |
| 1488 | Murdoch | 928 | May 1866 | November 1888 | |
| 1489 | Brindley | 929 | May 1866 | April 1893 | |
| 1513 | Shakespeare | 980 | October 1866 | February 1890 | |
| 1514 | Scott | 981 | October 1866 | November 1890 | |
| 1515 | Milton | 982 | October 1866 | May 1890 | |
| 1516 | Byron | 983 | November 1866 | June 1891 | |
| 1517 | Princess Helena | 984 | November 1866 | November 1888 | |
| 1518 | Countess | 985 | November 1866 | May 1891 | |
| 1519 | Duchess | 986 | November 1866 | June 1891 | |
| 1520 | Franklin | 987 | November 1866 | May 1891 | |
| 1521 | Gladstone | 988 | November 1866 | September 1889 | |
| 1522 | Pitt | 989 | November 1866 | January 1888 | |
| 1523 | Marlborough | 990 | November 1866 | April 1893 | |
| 1524 | Wolfe | 991 | November 1866 | March 1890 | |
| 1525 | Abercrombie | 992 | November 1866 | May 1891 | |
| 1526 | Drake | 993 | November 1866 | January 1890 | |
| 1527 | Raleigh | 994 | November 1866 | February 1888 | |
| 1528 | Frobisher | 995 | November 1866 | February 1888 | |
| 1529 | Cook | 996 | November 1866 | September 1889 | |
| 1530 | Columbus | 997 | November 1866 | November 1888 | |
| 1531 | Cromwell | 998 | November 1866 | November 1890 | |
| 1532 | Hampden | 999 | November 1866 | June 1892 | |
| 1666 | Ariadne | 1160 | March 1868 | June 1891 | |
| 1667 | Corunna | 1161 | March 1868 | April 1893 | |
| 1668 | Dagmar | 1162 | March 1868 | May 1891 | |
| 1669 | Ilion | 1163 | March 1868 | March 1888 | |
| 1670 | Ganymede | 1164 | March 1868 | June 1887 | |
| 1671 | Shamrock | 1165 | March 1868 | June 1891 | |
| 1672 | Talavera | 1166 | March 1868 | February 1890 | |
| 1673 | Lucknow | 1167 | April 1868 | May 1891 | |
| 1674 | Delhi | 1168 | April 1868 | November 1890 | |
| 1675 | Vimiera | 1169 | April 1868 | May 1891 | |
| 1676 | The Nile | 1170 | April 1868 | May 1891 | |
| 1677 | Badajos | 1171 | April 1868 | January 1890 | |
| 1678 | Airey | 1172 | April 1868 | April 1892 | |
| 1679 | Bunsen | 1173 | April 1868 | January 1888 | |
| 1680 | Livingstone | 1174 | May 1868 | June 1891 | |
| 1681 | Minerva | 1175 | May 1868 | February 1888 | |
| 1682 | Novelty | 1176 | May 1868 | June 1892 | |
| 1683 | Sisyphus | 1177 | May 1868 | April 1891 | |
| 1684 | Speke | 1178 | May 1868 | June 1891 | |
| 1685 | Gladiator | 1179 | May 1868 | November 1880 | |
| 1744 | Magdala | 1280 | October 1869 | April 1892 | |
| 1745 | John Bright | 1281 | October 1869 | April 1892 | |
| 1746 | Bevere | 1282 | November 1869 | January 1890 | |
| 1747 | Tennyson | 1283 | November 1869 | May 1891 | John Mayall from 1885 |
| 1748 | Britannia | 1284 | November 1869 | July 1889 | |
| 1749 | Hibernia | 1285 | November 1869 | January 1888 | |
| 379 | Sedgwick | 1286 | December 1869 | October 1888 | |
| 380 | Quernmore | 1287 | December 1869 | June 1891 | |
| 381 | Patterdale | 1288 | December 1869 | April 1893 | |
| 382 | Buckingham | 1289 | January 1870 | May 1890 | |
| 393 | Brougham | 1300 | August 1870 | April 1893 | |
| 394 | Eamont | 1301 | August 1870 | April 1893 | |
| 395 | Scotia | 1302 | September 1870 | June 1892 | |
| 396 | Dunrobin | 1303 | September 1870 | April 1891 | Tennyson from 1885 |
| 271 | Minotaur | 1304 | September 1870 | June 1887 | |
| 275 | Vulcan | 1305 | September 1870 | January 1888 | |
| 276 | Pluto | 1306 | September 1870 | November 1888 | |
| 295 | Penmaenmawr | 1307 | September 1870 | April 1893 | |
| 304 | Hector | 1308 | September 1870 | June 1892 | |
| 308 | Booth | 1309 | September 1870 | May 1890 | |
| 2001 | Henry Crosfield | 1380 | April 1871 | November 1890 | |
| 2002 | Madge | 1381 | April 1871 | June 1891 | |
| 2003 | Alecto | 1382 | April 1871 | June 1891 | |
| 2004 | Witch | 1383 | April 1871 | May 1891 | |
| 2005 | Lynx | 1384 | April 1871 | January 1894 | |
| 2006 | Princess | 1385 | April 1871 | November 1890 | |
| 1211 | John Ramsbottom | 1479 | March 1872 | November 1888 | |
| 1212 | Pioneer | 1480 | March 1872 | November 1888 | |
| 1213 | The Queen | 1481 | April 1872 | January 1892 | |
| 1214 | Prince Albert | 1482 | April 1872 | November 1890 | |
| 1215 | Albion | 1483 | April 1872 | April 1893 | |
| 1216 | Premier | 1484 | April 1872 | November 1888 | |
| 1217 | Florence | 1485 | April 1872 | April 1891 | |
| 1218 | Phaeton | 1486 | April 1872 | November 1890 | |
| 1219 | Lightning | 1487 | April 1872 | January 1888 | |
| 1220 | Belted Will | 1488 | April 1872 | June 1887 | |
| 1141 | S. R. Graves | 1682 | 1873 | November 1888 | |
| 941 | Blenkinsop | 1683 | August 1873 | October 1888 | |
| 942 | Shah of Persia | 1684 | August 1873 | April 1893 | |
| 974 | Richard Cobden | 1685 | August 1873 | January 1890 | |
| 696 | Director | 1686 | August 1873 | November 1888 | |
| 787 | Clarendon | 1687 | August 1873 | April 1893 | |
| 790 | Hardwicke | 1688 | August 1873 | January 1892 | |
| 1020 | Wordsworth | 1689 | August 1873 | May 1891 | |
| 1132 | North Western | 1690 | August 1873 | June 1887 | |
| 403 | Isabella | 1691 | August 1873 | January 1892 | |

## Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway

In 1873 ten locomotives of the type were built at Crewe for the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) and utilised on passenger expresses between Blackpool, Manchester and Yorkshire. They were given the numbers 456–462 and 731–733. Most were fitted with replacement boilers about and other standard L&YR parts 1888. They were then used on Liverpool−Manchester expresses on the new L&YR route. The more powerful Barton Wright 4-4-0s took over on the more demanding sections to Yorkshire though the Ramsbottom engines were considered faster on light loads. Most were withdrawn in the period 1895 to 1897 but Nos. 461, 462 and 731 lasted to 1904, 1912 and 1926 respectively. No. 731 had been used as the Chief Mechanical Engineer's (CME) locomotive since 1886, based at Horwich and attached to a combined bogied tender-saloon vehicle. It passed back to the LNWR when the L&YR amalgamation of 1922 and into the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) in 1923 at the grouping. It was scrapped when the LMS CME department moved to Derby.

## Preservation

Even though no locomotive from the Newton class was saved for posterity. The Improved Precedent No. 790 Hardwicke (built 1892, LMS No. 5031, withdrawn 1932) currently sitting at National Railway Museum Shildon still display nameplates indicating 1873 as the year of build.