LNWR Large Bloomer Class

The London and North Western Railway 7 foot. "Large Bloomer" class were 2-2-2 tender steam locomotives.
== History ==
The Large Bloomers (originally simply "Bloomers") were designed by James E. McConnell of the Southern Division within the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). They were constructed from 1851 to 1862, with twenty-five being built by Sharp, Stewart and company, five by Kitson and company, and ten by the LNWR's own Wolverton Works.http://www.lnwrs.org.uk/PassClassLocos/pass_class_menu.php?display_class_details=mlbmhttps://www.steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=Great_Britain&wheel=2-2-2&railroad=lnwhttps://preservedbritishsteamlocomotives.com/2-2-2-lnwr-bloomer/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH86d1HDcXohttps://www.encyclo.co.uk/meaning-of-LNWR_Bloomer_Classhttps://alchetron.com/LNWR-Bloomer-Class
The Large Bloomers name originates from the look of their splashers appearing like a flower that is blooming. The Large Bloomers are notable in that they were one of the first locomotives in the world to have their boilers set high; this was done to accommodate the the crank-axle of the driving wheels. The firebox, motion and cylinders were all fitted-in by extending the wheelbase to Connell's liking.
The Large Bloomers were used on top-link expresses from London to Birmingham and later on from 1860 on-wards the Rugby to Stratford expresses. They remained the LNWR's primary express locomotive until the 1880s, being highly successful locomotives. Withdrawals started in 1876 with the last of the class being withdrawn in 1887, with all Large Bloomers being scrapped days from their withdrawal dates.
== Preservation ==
The first of the Large Bloomers to be withdrawn was No.856 'Ingestre' in June 1876, and the last of the class to be withdrawn and scrapped in November 1888 being No.992 'Stork' leaving none to be preserved.
However a static new build was completed in 1991 for display at Milton Keynes station being numbered 1009 and named Wolverton. In 2006 No.1009 'Wolverton' was refurbished at Wolverton Works by Knorr-Bremse RailServices and after much debate was moved to the Milton Keynes Museum for display.
Another new build (to operation) was started earlier in 1986 with the locomotive being numbered 670 and being 90% complete before being abandoned. No.670 continues to languish at Tyseley Locomotive Works, however in June 2019 a new campaign was started up to complete the Large Bloomer by 2026, but for display at Birmingham Curzon Street Terminus.https://preservedbritishsteamlocomotives.com/670-2/https://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=22976https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2018/02/lnwr-bloomer-project-steam-locomotive-no-670-project-information.html
== List of Locomotives ==
Class list of locomotives of the 7 ft. "Large Bloomer" class.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNWR_Bloomer_Class (Table incomplete)
Image:	Name: 	No.	Built: 	Builder: 	b/n No.	Status:
- 	Odin 	847
(Formerly No.247)	August, 1851 	Sharp, Stewart & Co.	677 	December, 1878
- 	Hecate	848
(Formerly No.248)	September, 1851	Sharp, Stewart & Co.	678 	October, 1883
- 	Aeolus	849
(Formerly No.249)	September, 1851	Sharp, Stewart & Co.	679 	December, 1879
== Trivia ==
* The class were rebuilt throughout the 1860s to 1870s at Wolverton Works.
* The character "Bloomer" from the Railway Series by the Rev. W. Awdry is both based and named upon the LNWR Larger Bloomer.
== Bibliography ==
Category:Locomotives
Category:Steam locomotives
Category:Tender locomotives
Category:Two Coupled locomotives
Category:United Kingdom
Category:Passenger locomotives
Category:Scrapped locomotives
Category:Built in 1851
Category:2-2-2
Category:2-2-2 locomotives
Category:2-2-2 steam locomotives
Category:New-build steam locomotives
Category:Built in 1852
Category:Built in 1853
Category:Built in 1861
Category:Built in 1862
Category:4 foot 8 1⁄2 inch gauge
Category:Standard gauge locomotives
Category:Single Driving Wheel Locomotive
Category:Wolverton Works
Category:LNWR locomotives
Category:Three-axled locomotives
Category:Two-cylindered locomotives
Category:Single Coupled locomotives
Category:James McConnell locomotives
Category:Sharp Stewart locomotives
Category:Kitson locomotives