LNWR Greater Britain Class

The London and North Western Railway (LNWR) Greater Britain class was a class of ten 2-2-2-2 steam locomotives designed for express passenger work by F. W. Webb.

History[]

The first of the ten locomotives was built in October 1891, and a second followed in May 1893; the remaining eight came from Crewe Works in April and May 1894.

They were three-cylinder compound locomotives: the two outside high pressure cylinders drove the trailing drivers via Howe-Stephenson valve gear, the one inside low pressure cylinder drive the leading drivers via a slip eccentric. There was no connection between the two sets of drivers.

All the locomotives were named; one unusual feature (shared with the John Hick class) was that the names were split over two nameplates, one on each driving wheel splasher. This necessitated the use of two-word names, rather than some of the abbreviated names the LNWR had previously used.

They continued in service until Webb's retirement. His successor, George Whale preferred simple superheated locomotives; consequently they were all scrapped between 1906 and 1907.

List of Locomotives[]

Table of locomotives
LNWR No.	Name	Crewe Works No.	Date built	Date scrapped	Notes
2525	Greater Britain	3292	Oct 1891	Jul 1907	Renumbered 2053 in Dec 1891
3435	Queen Empress	3435	May 1893	Jun 1906	Renumbered 2054 in Jan 1894
2051	George Findlay	3472	Apr 1894	Jul 1907
2052	Prince George	3473	May 1894	Sep 1906
525	Princess May	3474	May 1894	Sep 1906
526	Scottish Chief	3475	May 1894	Mar 1906
527	Henry Bessemer	3476	May 1894	Jan 1907
528	Richard Moon	3477	May 1894	Mar 1906
529	William Cawkwell	3478	May 1894	Sep 1906
772	Richard Trevithick	3479	May 1894	Apr 1906

London North Western Railway Classes
2-2-2	6ft "Single" Class • 173 Cornwall • 7ft "Large Bloomer" Class • 7ft "Single" Class • "Patent" Class • 6ft 6in "Small Bloomer" Class • H "Special Bloomer" Class • 7ft 6in "Problem"/"Lady of the Lake" Class
2-4-0	6ft "Samson"/"Curved Link Passenger" Class • 6ft 6in "Newton"/"Curved Link Passenger" Class • 5ft 6in "Precursor" • 6ft 6in "Precedent" Class • 2234 "Chopper" Class • "Improved Precedent" Class • "Small Jumbo"/"Waterloo"/"Whitworth" Class • "Crewe Goods" Class
2-4-2	4ft 6in Class • 5ft 6in Class
2-2-2-0	"Experiment" Class (F. W. Webb) • "Dreadnought" Class • "Teutonic" Class
4-2-2-0	No.3026
2-2-2-2	No.687 • No.600 • "Greater Britain" Class • 6ft 3in "John Hick" Class
2-2-4-0	No.2974
4-4-0	"Metropolitan" Class • LNWR "Jubilee" Class • "Alfred the Great" Class • "Benbow" Class • 6ft 9in "Precursor" Class • "Renown" Class • "Queen Mary" Class • "George the Fifth" Class
0-6-2	5ft 3in "Watford" Class • 17in "Coal Tank"
4-6-0	"Experiment" (G. Whale) • "Prince of Wales" Class • "Claughton" Class • No.1361 Prospero • 1400 "Bill Bailey" Class • 19in "Express Goods" Class
4-4-2	"Metropolitan Tank" (Rebuild) • 6ft "Precursor Tank"
4-6-2	2665 "Prince of Wales Tank"
0-6-0	271 Class • DX "Goods" Class • D "Early Goods" Class • "Ostrich" Class • "Wolverton Express Goods" Class • "Special Tank" Class • 17in "Coal Engine" Class • 5ft/18in "Express Goods"/"Crested Goods"/"Cauliflower" Class • DX "Special Goods" Class • 4ft 3in "Square Saddle Tank" Class
0-4-0	"Tram" Class • 4ft 835 "Shunter" Class • 4ft 1201 "Shunter" Class • 2360 Class
0-4-2	835 "Crane Tank" Class • 317 "Bissel" Class
0-8-0	No.2524 • A Class • B Class (F. W. Webb) • C Class • C1 Class • D Class • G Class • G1 Class • G2 Class • G2A Class • G3 Class
2-8-0	E Class • F Class • MM Class
0-8-2	1185 "Shunter" Class
0-8-4	380 Class
2-2-0	"Bury Bar-Frame" Class • B Class (E. Bury)