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LNWR Lady of the Lake class

January 06, 2023

The London and North Western Railway (LNWR) 7 ft 6 in Single 2-2-2 class was a type of express passenger locomotive designed by John Ramsbottom. The class is better known as the Problem class for the first locomotive built, or the Lady of the Lake class for the example that was displayed at the International Exhibition of 1862.

Lady of the Lake Class
or Problem Class[1]
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerJohn Ramsbottom
BuilderCrewe Works
Build date1859–1865
Total produced60
Rebuild date1873 (cab added, black livery)
1879-83 (re-boilering)
1895-97 (extensive rebuild)
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte2-2-2
 • UIC1A1 n2
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Leading dia.3 ft 6 in (1.067 m)[2]
Driver dia.7 ft 6 in (2.286 m)
Trailing dia.3 ft 6 in (1.067 m)[2]
Total weight27 long tons (27.4 t; 30.2 short tons)
Water cap.1,500 imp gal (6,800 l; 1,800 US gal) to 2,000 imp gal (9,100 l; 2,400 US gal) depending on tender used
Firebox:
 • Firegrate area		14.9 sq ft (1.38 m2)
Boiler pressure120 psi (0.83 MPa)
Heating surface1,098 sq ft (102.0 m2)[3]
CylindersTwo, outside
Cylinder size16 in × 24 in (406 mm × 610 mm)
Valve gearStephenson
Career
OperatorsLondon and North Western Railway
Withdrawn1898–1907[2]
DispositionAll scrapped

The first examples were built shortly after the acquisition of the Chester and Holyhead Railway by the LNWR, and primarily saw use on the Irish Mail route from London to Holyhead. They were the first locomotives to be fitted with water scoops, which could refill the tender from water troughs between the tracks without stopping. One such locomotive, No. 229 Watt, was the first to use them in non-stop run from Holyhead to Stafford in 1862, while conveying despatches relating to the Trent Affair.

Design

The Lady of the Lake class was the second type of locomotive designed by Ramsbottom. It was typical of express passenger locomotives of its era in having a single driving axle with large (7 ft 6 in (2.286 m) in this instance) driving wheels to achieve high speeds, while avoiding the friction associated with coupled driving wheels (Coupling was done primarily on goods locomotives, where tractive effort was more important than speed). The locomotives bore a resemblance to 2-2-2 designs by Patrick Stirling and Joseph Beattie, yet could also be regarded as a development of Alexander Allan's designs under Ramsbottom's predecessor, Francis Trevithick.[1] They had an open cab, a smokebox door that opened vertically, and open slots on the "splashers" that covered the driving wheels.[4]

Like Ramsbottom's earlier DX Goods design, the Lady of the Lake class made use of the Stephenson valve gear and his own screw design of reversing gear. These locomotives saw the first use of Henri Giffard's steam injector in Britain, as well as the use of a water scoop. They were all painted in the green livery used by the Northern Division. The first locomotive built, No. 184 Problem, was reputed to have gained the name because of the problem of getting the new injector to work, but the first ten engines (of which Problem was one) were fitted with a traditional crosshead pump.[1] Her name may have a more mathematical origin, as the DX Goods locomotive No. 183 was given the name Theorem.[1]

The first locomotives built were given 2,000 imp gal (9,100 L) tenders, but with the introduction of water scoops for refilling en route they were replaced with 1,500 imp gal (6,800 L) tenders.[4]

229 Watt and The "Trent Affair"

During the American Civil War, two Confederate diplomats travelling on the British mail packet RMS Trent were forcibly removed by Union Captain Charles Wilkes of the USS San Jacinto. This resulted in a diplomatic stand-off between the United States and Britain, and a threat of war. Despatches from the British Ambassador to Washington were eagerly awaited in London and throughout Britain. At this time, mail packets from America landed in Ireland at Queenstown: the mail was carried by rail to Kingstown, and thence by the Irish Mail route via Holyhead. The London and North Western Railway had publicly announced that they would convey the urgent mail from Holyhead to London within five hours.[5]

Locomotives were kept ready for days on end at Queenstown, Holyhead, and Stafford in anticipation of the mail. The steamer from Kingstown arrived alongside the Admiralty pier at Holyhead at 8:15 a.m. on 7 January 1862. Within seven minutes, an Allan 2-2-2 set off to Holyhead station. Here the Allan Engine was changed for No. 229 Watt, which set off for Stafford. It was hauling a short train of only three four-wheel coaches.[6] Thanks to the newly installed water troughs near Mochdre,[7] it was able to cover the 130.5 mi (210.0 km) without stopping to take on water, and despite the rough weather of the North Wales coast, reached Stafford 144 minutes later, at an average speed of 54.3 mph (87.4 km/h). This was the greatest non-stop distance covered by a steam train at that time. An engine change was completed at Stafford in as little as a minute and a half, and Bloomer No. 372 took the train on to Euston station, arriving at 1:13 p.m., less than five hours after the steamer had arrived at Holyhead.[5] The Times considered the effort to be "a speed unparalleled over so long a line, crowded with ordinary traffic".[8]

 
The "apparatus for supplying water to tenders whilst in motion", as illustrated in the exhibition's catalogue.

Later that year, in the 1862 International Exhibition, The LNWR exhibited a locomotive and tender fitted with the "Apparatus for supplying water to tenders whilst in motion". The catalogue made note that this was the same class that ran the "American express" on 7 January,[3] but the locomotive selected was No. 531 Lady of the Lake, rather than Watt itself. The Lady of the Lake was awarded a bronze medal, and the entire class became known to many as the "Lady of the Lake" class.[1]

Operations

The Lady of the Lake class locomotives spent their initial years working the Irish Mail traffic, as well as running local express services in the Manchester, Crewe and Liverpool area. They gained a reputation as "flyers"[1] on the Irish Mail, even though the speed required by the Post Office contract (a 42 mph (68 km/h) average) was not particularly fast by contemporary standards. Sir Richard Moon, Chairman of the LNWR, believed that a speed of 40 mph was sufficient for an express train. The "Ladies" could keep this pace with ease, and were economical to run as well. In later years, however, as speeds and loads increased, the locomotives were used as pilots on double-headed trains, and even some branch services.

Webb's Rebuilds

 
No. 531 Lady of the Lake in black livery

In 1873, two years after Francis Webb took over as engineer from Ramsbottom, the new General Manager William Cawkwell decided that black should be the standard colour for all locomotives.[9] The Lady of the Lake class were thus painted as Webb added a cab roof and modified the chimneys of the entire class. When the class received replacement boilers from 1879 to 1883 they were also fitted with steam brakes (previously only the tender had brakes, and they were wooden ones) and enclosed splashers.[4]

The "Ladies" received a very extensive rebuild from 1895–1897. This time they were fitted with enlarged boilers and larger fireboxes, round smokebox doors, crosshead vacuum pumps, new 3 in (76 mm) tyres (which increased the diameter of the driving wheels to 7 ft 9 in or 2.36 m), and cross-stays to stiffen the frames.[9] These rebuilt Ladies gained a new lease of life and were often used to pilot express trains, achieving speeds of over 80 mph (130 km/h).[10]

Withdrawal

 
No. 1 Saracen at Nuneaton in 1904, as rebuilt by Webb.

The faster and heavier trains on the London and North Western Railway, combined with the small, economical engines that had been favoured for decades, meant a greater number of services had to be double-headed in order to keep time. George Whale's Precursor Class, introduced in 1904, was able to haul heavy trains on its own. As the Precursors were rolling out of Crewe works, so the Ladies (and other underpowered engines such as Webb's 3-cylinder compounds) were cut up for scrap. Some of the Ladies' names (such as Scorpion, Tiger, Watt, and Havelock) were reused for Precursors.[11] By 1907 the entire Lady of the Lake class had been scrapped.[4]

Fleet list

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Nock 1952, pp. 53–58.
  2. ^ a b c d Baxter 1978, pp. 116–118.
  3. ^ a b "1862 London Exhibition: Catalogue: Class V.: London and North Western Railway Co". 16 August 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d "'Lady of the Lake' class express passenger engines". Hotspur Designs. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  5. ^ a b Nock 1952, pp. 47–48.
  6. ^ "Railway Wonders of the World - Special Trains". Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  7. ^ Claire Parry. "Mochdre Water Troughs". Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  8. ^ "The American Mail by the Europa". The Times. London. 8 January 1862.
  9. ^ a b Nock 1952, pp. 106–110.
  10. ^ Nock 1952, p. 127.
  11. ^ Nock 1952, pp. 135–138.
  12. ^ a b c Goodman 2002, pp. 79, 82.
  • Baxter, Bertram (1978). Baxter, David (ed.). British Locomotive Catalogue 1825–1923, Volume 2A: London and North Western Railway and its constituent companies. Ashbourne, Derbyshire: Moorland Publishing Company. ISBN 0-903485-51-6.
  • Goodman, John (2002). L&NWR Locomotive Names / A Sequel to LMS Locomotive Names. Peterborough: RCTS. ISBN 0-901115-90-8.
  • Nock, O. S. (1952). The Premier Line – The Story of London & North Western Locomotives. London: Ian Allan.

January 06, 2023
lnwr, lady, lake, class, london, north, western, railway, lnwr, single, class, type, express, passenger, locomotive, designed, john, ramsbottom, class, better, known, problem, class, first, locomotive, built, lady, lake, class, example, that, displayed, intern. The London and North Western Railway LNWR 7 ft 6 in Single 2 2 2 class was a type of express passenger locomotive designed by John Ramsbottom The class is better known as the Problem class for the first locomotive built or the Lady of the Lake class for the example that was displayed at the International Exhibition of 1862 Lady of the Lake Class or Problem Class 1 No 531 Lady of the Lake in photographic grey liveryType and originPower typeSteamDesignerJohn RamsbottomBuilderCrewe WorksBuild date1859 1865Total produced60Rebuild date1873 cab added black livery 1879 83 re boilering 1895 97 extensive rebuild SpecificationsConfiguration Whyte2 2 2 UIC1A1 n2Gauge4 ft 8 1 2 in 1 435 mm Leading dia 3 ft 6 in 1 067 m 2 Driver dia 7 ft 6 in 2 286 m Trailing dia 3 ft 6 in 1 067 m 2 Total weight27 long tons 27 4 t 30 2 short tons Water cap 1 500 imp gal 6 800 l 1 800 US gal to 2 000 imp gal 9 100 l 2 400 US gal depending on tender usedFirebox Firegrate area14 9 sq ft 1 38 m2 Boiler pressure120 psi 0 83 MPa Heating surface1 098 sq ft 102 0 m2 3 CylindersTwo outsideCylinder size16 in 24 in 406 mm 610 mm Valve gearStephensonCareerOperatorsLondon and North Western RailwayWithdrawn1898 1907 2 DispositionAll scrappedThe first examples were built shortly after the acquisition of the Chester and Holyhead Railway by the LNWR and primarily saw use on the Irish Mail route from London to Holyhead They were the first locomotives to be fitted with water scoops which could refill the tender from water troughs between the tracks without stopping One such locomotive No 229 Watt was the first to use them in non stop run from Holyhead to Stafford in 1862 while conveying despatches relating to the Trent Affair Contents 1 Design 2 229 Watt and The Trent Affair 3 Operations 4 Webb s Rebuilds 5 Withdrawal 6 Fleet list 7 ReferencesDesign EditThe Lady of the Lake class was the second type of locomotive designed by Ramsbottom It was typical of express passenger locomotives of its era in having a single driving axle with large 7 ft 6 in 2 286 m in this instance driving wheels to achieve high speeds while avoiding the friction associated with coupled driving wheels Coupling was done primarily on goods locomotives where tractive effort was more important than speed The locomotives bore a resemblance to 2 2 2 designs by Patrick Stirling and Joseph Beattie yet could also be regarded as a development of Alexander Allan s designs under Ramsbottom s predecessor Francis Trevithick 1 They had an open cab a smokebox door that opened vertically and open slots on the splashers that covered the driving wheels 4 Like Ramsbottom s earlier DX Goods design the Lady of the Lake class made use of the Stephenson valve gear and his own screw design of reversing gear These locomotives saw the first use of Henri Giffard s steam injector in Britain as well as the use of a water scoop They were all painted in the green livery used by the Northern Division The first locomotive built No 184 Problem was reputed to have gained the name because of the problem of getting the new injector to work but the first ten engines of which Problem was one were fitted with a traditional crosshead pump 1 Her name may have a more mathematical origin as the DX Goods locomotive No 183 was given the name Theorem 1 The first locomotives built were given 2 000 imp gal 9 100 L tenders but with the introduction of water scoops for refilling en route they were replaced with 1 500 imp gal 6 800 L tenders 4 229 Watt and The Trent Affair EditDuring the American Civil War two Confederate diplomats travelling on the British mail packet RMS Trent were forcibly removed by Union Captain Charles Wilkes of the USS San Jacinto This resulted in a diplomatic stand off between the United States and Britain and a threat of war Despatches from the British Ambassador to Washington were eagerly awaited in London and throughout Britain At this time mail packets from America landed in Ireland at Queenstown the mail was carried by rail to Kingstown and thence by the Irish Mail route via Holyhead The London and North Western Railway had publicly announced that they would convey the urgent mail from Holyhead to London within five hours 5 Locomotives were kept ready for days on end at Queenstown Holyhead and Stafford in anticipation of the mail The steamer from Kingstown arrived alongside the Admiralty pier at Holyhead at 8 15 a m on 7 January 1862 Within seven minutes an Allan 2 2 2 set off to Holyhead station Here the Allan Engine was changed for No 229 Watt which set off for Stafford It was hauling a short train of only three four wheel coaches 6 Thanks to the newly installed water troughs near Mochdre 7 it was able to cover the 130 5 mi 210 0 km without stopping to take on water and despite the rough weather of the North Wales coast reached Stafford 144 minutes later at an average speed of 54 3 mph 87 4 km h This was the greatest non stop distance covered by a steam train at that time An engine change was completed at Stafford in as little as a minute and a half and Bloomer No 372 took the train on to Euston station arriving at 1 13 p m less than five hours after the steamer had arrived at Holyhead 5 The Times considered the effort to be a speed unparalleled over so long a line crowded with ordinary traffic 8 The apparatus for supplying water to tenders whilst in motion as illustrated in the exhibition s catalogue Later that year in the 1862 International Exhibition The LNWR exhibited a locomotive and tender fitted with the Apparatus for supplying water to tenders whilst in motion The catalogue made note that this was the same class that ran the American express on 7 January 3 but the locomotive selected was No 531 Lady of the Lake rather than Watt itself The Lady of the Lake was awarded a bronze medal and the entire class became known to many as the Lady of the Lake class 1 Operations EditThe Lady of the Lake class locomotives spent their initial years working the Irish Mail traffic as well as running local express services in the Manchester Crewe and Liverpool area They gained a reputation as flyers 1 on the Irish Mail even though the speed required by the Post Office contract a 42 mph 68 km h average was not particularly fast by contemporary standards Sir Richard Moon Chairman of the LNWR believed that a speed of 40 mph was sufficient for an express train The Ladies could keep this pace with ease and were economical to run as well In later years however as speeds and loads increased the locomotives were used as pilots on double headed trains and even some branch services Webb s Rebuilds Edit No 531 Lady of the Lake in black livery In 1873 two years after Francis Webb took over as engineer from Ramsbottom the new General Manager William Cawkwell decided that black should be the standard colour for all locomotives 9 The Lady of the Lake class were thus painted as Webb added a cab roof and modified the chimneys of the entire class When the class received replacement boilers from 1879 to 1883 they were also fitted with steam brakes previously only the tender had brakes and they were wooden ones and enclosed splashers 4 The Ladies received a very extensive rebuild from 1895 1897 This time they were fitted with enlarged boilers and larger fireboxes round smokebox doors crosshead vacuum pumps new 3 in 76 mm tyres which increased the diameter of the driving wheels to 7 ft 9 in or 2 36 m and cross stays to stiffen the frames 9 These rebuilt Ladies gained a new lease of life and were often used to pilot express trains achieving speeds of over 80 mph 130 km h 10 Withdrawal Edit No 1 Saracen at Nuneaton in 1904 as rebuilt by Webb The faster and heavier trains on the London and North Western Railway combined with the small economical engines that had been favoured for decades meant a greater number of services had to be double headed in order to keep time George Whale s Precursor Class introduced in 1904 was able to haul heavy trains on its own As the Precursors were rolling out of Crewe works so the Ladies and other underpowered engines such as Webb s 3 cylinder compounds were cut up for scrap Some of the Ladies names such as Scorpion Tiger Watt and Havelock were reused for Precursors 11 By 1907 the entire Lady of the Lake class had been scrapped 4 Fleet list EditTable of Problem or Lady of the Lake class locomotives 2 LNWRNo 12 Name 12 CreweWorksNo 12 Datebuilt Daterebuilt Datescrapped Notes184 Problem 424 Nov 1859 Jun 1897 May 1905229 Watt 425 Nov 1859 Feb 1898 Nov 190533 Erebus 426 Feb 1860 Feb 1898 Sep 190644 Harlequin 427 Feb 1860 Mar 1898 Jan 190760 Tantalus 428 Mar 1860 Dec 1896 Oct 190461 Phosphorus 429 Mar 1860 Aug 1896 Sep 190677 Mersey 440 May 1860 Mar 1896 Jan 190797 Atalanta 441 May 1860 Jan 1897 Jul 1906111 Russell 442 May 1860 Dec 1897 Jul 1906134 Owl 443 May 1860 Apr 1896 Oct 1903165 Star 464 Nov 1860 May 1897 Feb 1906117 Tiger 465 Nov 1860 May 1898 Oct 1905222 Lily 466 Nov 1860 Oct 1897 Sep 1906196 Leander 467 Nov 1860 May 1896 Jul 1906230 Monarch 468 Nov 1860 Sep 1898 Sep 1906561 Prince Oscar 489 May 1861 Feb 1899 Apr 1906562 Palmerston 490 May 1861 Mar 1898 Jul 1906563 Combermere 491 May 1861 Mar 1896 May 1906564 Majestic 492 May 1861 Jun 1897 Jun 1907565 Napoleon 493 May 1861 Jul 1897 Jan 1906234 Mazeppa 524 Nov 1861 May 1898 Mar 190628 Prometheus 525 Nov 1861 Apr 1897 Sep 19061 Saracen 526 Nov 1861 Jun 1897 Jun 19077 Scorpion 527 Nov 1861 Jun 1898 May 1904139 Cygnet 528 Nov 1861 Mar 1898 Aug 1906218 Wellington 529 Feb 1862 Oct 1898 Jul 1907279 Stephenson 530 Feb 1862 Nov 1897 Sep 1906531 Lady of the Lake 531 Feb 1862 Nov 1898 Jun 1906 First rebuilt in 1878291 Prince of Wales 532 Feb 1862 Dec 1895 Sep 1906 Involved in Abergele collision 20 August 1867127 Peel 533 Mar 1862 Jun 1896 May 1905762 Locke 584 Nov 1862 Jun 1898 Feb 1907803 Tornado 585 Nov 1862 Dec 1897 Jul 1906804 Soult 586 Nov 1862 Apr 1898754 Ethelred 587 Nov 1862 Jan 1899 Jul 1907837 Faerie Queene 588 Nov 1862 Jun 1898 Feb 1906827 Victoria 589 Dec 1862 Feb 1897 Mar 1907610 Princess Royal 590 Dec 1862 Mar 1899 Feb 1905612 Princess Alice 591 Jan 1863 Jul 1907618 Princess Alexandra 592 Jan 1863 Jun 1898 Nov 1907622 Prince Alfred 593 Jan 1863 Jul 1898 Dec 1904665 Lord of the Isles 594 Jan 1863 Feb 1896 Jun 1907667 Marmion 595 Jan 1863 Feb 1897 Sep 1906675 Ivanhoe 596 Feb 1863 Apr 1895 Apr 1906802 Red Gauntlet 597 Feb 1863 Apr 1899 Jul 1907806 Waverley 598 Feb 1863 Nov 1895 Jan 1905818 Havelock 599 Feb 1863 Mar 1897 May 1904719 Outram 600 Feb 1863 Apr 1898 Nov 1907723 Clive 601 Feb 1863 Sep 1898 Feb 1906833 Clyde 602 Feb 1863 Apr 1897 Dec 1906834 Elgin 603 Feb 1863 Mar 1898 Sep 19061427 Edith 830 Jul 1865 Nov 1898 Jan 19071428 Eleanor 831 Jul 1865 Nov 1899 Jul 19071429 Alfred Paget 832 Jul 1865 Dec 1897 Dec 19031430 Pandora 833 Jul 1865 Apr 1898 Jul 19051431 Psyche 834 Jul 1865 Jun 1898 Feb 19051432 Panopea 835 Jul 1865 Jun 1899 Jul 19041433 Daphne 836 Jul 1865 May 19061434 Eunomia 837 Jul 1865 Jun 1896 Oct 19071435 Fortuna 838 Jul 1865 Dec 1897 Oct 19071436 Egeria 839 Jul 1865 Aug 1896 Aug 1904References Edit a b c d e f Nock 1952 pp 53 58 a b c d Baxter 1978 pp 116 118 a b 1862 London Exhibition Catalogue Class V London and North Western Railway Co 16 August 2008 Retrieved 30 December 2013 a b c d Lady of the Lake class express passenger engines Hotspur Designs Retrieved 29 December 2013 a b Nock 1952 pp 47 48 Railway Wonders of the World Special Trains Retrieved 30 December 2013 Claire Parry Mochdre Water Troughs Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales Retrieved 29 December 2013 The American Mail by the Europa The Times London 8 January 1862 a b Nock 1952 pp 106 110 Nock 1952 p 127 Nock 1952 pp 135 138 a b c Goodman 2002 pp 79 82 Baxter Bertram 1978 Baxter David ed British Locomotive Catalogue 1825 1923 Volume 2A London and North Western Railway and its constituent companies Ashbourne Derbyshire Moorland Publishing Company ISBN 0 903485 51 6 Goodman John 2002 L amp NWR Locomotive Names A Sequel to LMS Locomotive Names Peterborough RCTS ISBN 0 901115 90 8 Nock O S 1952 The Premier Line The Story of London amp North Western Locomotives London Ian Allan Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title LNWR Lady of the Lake class amp oldid 1126163858, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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