The London and North Western Railway (LNWR) Renown Class was a class of 4-4-0 steam locomotives. They were rebuilds of F.W. Webb's 4-cylinder compounds of the Jubilee and Alfred the Great classes into 2-cylinder simple engines by George Whale, later continued by Charles Bowen-Cooke.

This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (October 2016)

LNWR Renown Class
No. 1918 Renown in photographic grey livery
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer George Whale Builder LNWR Crewe Works Build date 1897–1903 Rebuild date 1908–1924 Number rebuilt 70
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-4-0  • UIC 2′B Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Driver dia. 7 ft 1 in (2.159 m) Loco weight 56.00 long tons (56.90 t) Fuel type Coal Boiler pressure 200 psi (1.38 MPa) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 18.5 in × 24 in (470 mm × 610 mm) Valve gear Joy
Performance figures Tractive effort 16,428 lbf (73.1 kN)
Career Operators London and North Western Railway → London, Midland and Scottish Railway Power class LMS: 2P Number in class 1 January 1923: 56 Withdrawn 1925–1931 Disposition All scrapped

The first to be rebuilt was number 1918 Renown in 1908.

The rebuilds retained their original numbers. Unusually for the LNWR, the parent classes also had logical number series. Thus the Renowns were all numbered in the 1901–1940 series for ex-Jubilee Class and 1941–1980 for ex-Benbow class. In 1920, locomotive 1914 Invincible was renumbered 1257, and the number 1914 was then taken by the Claughton Class war memorial engine 1914 Patriot.

The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) acquired 56 Renowns in 1923. The LMS allocated these numbers in the 5131–5186 series, listed according to date of rebuilding, though not all numbers were applied before withdrawals started in 1928. Meanwhile, the LMS renumbered the existing compounds into the 5110–5129 series (though some were withdrawn before numbers could be allocated, and others were allocated numbers but not applied), and converted another 14 of these, which retained their numbers, thus taking the total for the class up to 70. All were gone by 1931 and none was preserved.

Accidents and incidents

Main article: Weedon rail crashes

• On 14 August 1915, a locomotive hauling a passenger train suffered a mechanical defect which resulted in track being damaged at weedon, Northamptonshire. Locomotive No. 1971 Aurora was one of two hauling a mail train that was derailed on the damaged track. Ten people were killed and 21 were injured.

Locomotive list

References

• Casserley, H. C. & Johnston, Stuart W. (1974) [1966]. Locomotives at the Grouping 3: London, Midland and Scottish Railway. Shepperton, Surrey: Ian Allan. p. 62. ISBN 0-7110-0554-0.