London and North Western Society Modelling

A lot of information has been published about LNWR engines, probably far more than is ample for most modelling purposes. Yet modellers who want to build an LNWR engine sometimes find it difficult to get the information they want. The problem is not that information is not available. Rather, it is knowing where to find it. These notes are therefore intended as a guide to published sources.

Locomotives Worth Modelling by F. C. Hambleton: Published by Percival Marshall in 1949, has superb drawings and fascinating text on Webb ‘Precedents’ and ‘Problems’, and three and four-cylinder compounds. There are detail drawings of a regulator handle, blower valve, con rods and other fittings. In the section on the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Aspinall 4-4-0, there is a description of a Crewe ‘DX’, with drawings of the engine and Joy’s valve gear.
Locomotives I Have Known by J. N. Maskelyne: Published by Percival Marshall in 1959, also has superb drawings and fascinating text on Cornwall, Hardwicke, a ‘Watford’ or ‘18in Tank’, a ‘Jubilee’, a ‘Precursor’, a ‘George’ and a ‘Claughton’. The later volume, A Further Selection of Locomotives I Have Known, published by Percival Marshall in 1962, has a drawing of a ‘Problem’. However, a modeller comments: ‘Good draughtsmanship but not always accurate drawings.’
The LNWR Portrayed by Jack Nelson: Published by Peco in 1975, contains drawings on all aspects of the LNWR which modellers are likely to be interested in and of many unusual subjects which are not covered elsewhere. The chapter on engine details is essential for any modeller. It has drawings, beautifully drawn and properly dimensioned, of chimneys, chimney caps, cabs, safety valves, lamps, lubricators and many other items. On pages 169-70 there is a list of drawings of engines which have been published in model magazines and engineering journals.
Jack was a draughtsman of exceptional ability and with great enthusiasm for the LNWR. He was interested in three-dimensional drawings and modelling. Some of the dioramas he constructed are in the museum at Bettws-y-Coed.
LNWR Liveries by George Dow, Peter Davis, Philip A. Millard and Edward Talbot: Published by the Historical Model Railway Society in 1985, contains a lot of information with detail drawings on painting, lining, name and number-plates and so forth. It not only covers engines but all aspects of the railway scene.
An Illustrated History of LNWR Engines by Edward Talbot: Published by OPC in 1985 and reprinted by Ian Allan in 2000, is designed for the general reader but with the needs of modellers in mind. It describes the LNWR classes in detail and by reference to photographs, and it chronicles detail changes throughout the LNWR period. It has appendixes on tenders, fire-irons and footplate work, painting (including number, tender and shed plates), nameplates and a chronology of LNWR engines. It is designed to enable a modeller to get details correct for a chosen period but does not cover the LMS and BR periods.
The London & North Western Railway Eight-Coupled Goods Engines by Edward Talbot: Published by the author in 2002, is a history of all the eight-coupled goods engine of the LNWR through the whole period of their existence, from their introduction in 1892 through the LNWR and LMS periods up to final withdrawal by British Railways in 1964. It is profusely illustrated with many detail photographs, some of which show fittings and details which were used on other LNWR engines also.
The Bill Finch Portfolio: Published by the LNWR Society as its portfolio No. 14 in 1999 contains drawings of details of LNWR engines, mainly of Hardwicke and Cornwall. They were drawn by Bill Finch, a tool maker by trade, when he was preparing to build his 5in gauge ‘Jumbo’ Miranda, which won a medal at the Model Engineers Exhibition in 1975. Perhaps more accurately described as tool-maker’s dimensioned sketches, the drawings were ideal for Bill’s purpose and are ideal for model makers. Many of the details they show were used not only on Webb engines but on later LNWR classes also.
The Crampton Locomotive by M. Sharman: Published by the author in 1983 is a beautiful book in its own right and essential for anyone enlightened enough to want to build models of Liverpool and Courier. It has excellent drawings and text on pages 32-5 and 38-9.
The London & North Western Railway A Selection of 7mm Locomotive Drawings: Compiled by M. Sharman and published by Oakwood Press 1986 reproduces drawings originally published in The Locomotive Magazine. Most of them are of 19^th century subjects and are well worth checking as a source. In some cases at least, especially as regards 20^th century subjects, other drawings elsewhere may be more suited to modern requirements.
The British Locomotive Catalogue 1825-1923 Volumes 2A and 2B: London and North Western Railway and its constituent companies compiled by the late Bertram Baxter, edited by David Baxter, published by Moorland Publishing Company 1978-9. Modellers often want to know the LMS number of a certain engine, or vice versa the LNWR number, or a list of names of engines in a certain class. These two volumes almost certainly contain the answers to queries of this kind.
A Compendium of LNWR Locomotives 1912-1949 Part One Passenger Tender Engines and 1912-1964 Part Two Goods Tender Engines by Willie B. Yeadon: Published by Challenger Publications 1995 and 1996, are mainly pictorial books but have lists of building details for the classes covered. Their coverage starts from 1912, which was when Willie Yeadon saw his first LNWR engine, so engines withdrawn before that date are not dealt with, but they continue to the final withdrawal of LNWR classes by BR and so provide excellent sources of photographs of the later years and the LMS period in particular. Other parts of the series were promised on tank engines but have not yet appeared.
An Illustrated History of LMS Locomotives Volume Two by Bob Essery and David Jenkinson: Published by OPC in 1985, covers LNWR engines in the LMS period and pays particular attention to the various liveries used by the LMS and applied to former LNWR engines. It is designed with modellers in mind.
Historical Drawings in 4mm Scale drawn by F. J. Roche: Published by Ian Allan (no date in my copy) has very little on the LNWR itself, except for a drawing of a ‘Coal Tank’, but some of the detail drawings on pages 32-5 may be useful for modellers of the LMS period.
Locomotives Illustrated edited by Brian Stephenson: with text by J. W. P. Rowledge is a series which is another excellent source of photographs and also has detailed engine history lists. Issues dealing with LNWR classes are:
No. 27 ‘Claughtons’ and ‘Patriots’
No. 54 LNWR 4-4-0s
No. 97 The LNWR Inside-Cylinder 4-6-0s
No. 107 LMS Pre-Grouping Eight-Coupled Locomotives
No. 112 Robinson GCR Eight-Coupled Locomotives including the ROD 2-8-0s
No. 141 LNWR 0-6-0s and 0-4-2 and 0-6-0 Saddle Tank Derivatives
Locomotives That Never Were, Some 20^th Century British Projects by Robin Barnes: Published by Jane’s 1985 reproduces artist’s impressions of designs which are known about but were never built. Two proposals by Beames for the LMS are included, both dating from 1931, a 4-6-0 with Caprotti valve gear intended as a replacement of the ‘Prince of Wales’ class and a 4-8-0 goods engine with outside cylinders and Walschaerts valve gear.
North Western Steam by W. A. Tuplin: Published by Allen and Unwin in 1963 contains a lot of information about LNWR engines, with some drawings and views of footplates which may interest modellers. It is, however, essential reading for anyone interested in North Western engines, the chapter ‘Some Engines in Service’ being as good a read as anything anywhere.

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