The London and North Western Railway (LNWR) Precursor class was a class of forty steam locomotives designed by F. W. Webb and built at the railway's Crewe Works between 1874 and 1879.
History The Precursor class was the first locomotive class to be designed wholly by F. W. Webb. He had previously ordered further examples of his predecessor's Samson and Newton classes.
The class featured enclosed wheel splashers and cabs from new, but no brakes were initially fitted; some received steam brakes and others vacuum brakes. They were also fitted with tenders.
Webb's Precursors performed well enough, but it didn't take long before these engines (as well as the Ramsbottom Samson and Newton classes) were superseded by his Improved Precedent Class and, being viewed as weaker than these newer engines, it wouldn't take long before they were on the line of withdrawal, with the first going out in 1892 and the last one holding on until 1895.
Fleet list + Table of locomotives LNWRNo. Name CreweWorksNo. Date built Date scrapped Notes 2145 Precursor 1802 2146 Harbinger 1803 2147 Champion 1804 2148 Vizier 1805 circa 2149 Candidate 1806 1143 Marquis 1807 circa 1144 Druid 1808 circa 1145 Cossack 1809 circa 1152 Arab 1810 1153 Sirocco 1811 1154 Colossus 1812 circa 1155 Dragon 1813 402 Viscount 1814 406 Senator 1815 circa 408 Simoon 1816 circa 409 Thunderbolt 1817 413 Python 1818 425 Oberon 1819 426 Warrior 1820 circa 427 Fame 1821 circa 1147 John Rennie 2229 circa 1148 Boadicea 2230 circa 1149 Helvellyn 2231 circa 1150 Lang Meg 2232 circa 1151 Lapwing 2233 1165 Vulture 2234 1169 Albatross 2235 1174 Cerberus 2236 679 Harrowby 2237 circa 847 Cedric 2238 circa 431 Bessemer 2249 838 Henry Cort 2250 481 Etna 2251 626 Emerald 2252 circa 255 Eglington 2253 circa 680 Giffard 2254 circa 338 Levens 2255 718 Jason 2256 779 William Baker 2257 1180 Pearl 2258
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