Locomotives of the LNWR Southern Division

The London & Birmingham Railway was the first big railway – the first trunk line from London. For years, it was the only rail link between the capital and the north, and it was described as the main artery of England. It was the dominant constituent – the Southern Division – of Britain’s biggest railway, the mighty London & North Western Railway. Author Harry Jack presents the background of the LNWR locomotive policy, shedding new light on the work of its two Locomotive Superintendents, Edward Bury and J.E. McConnell. 632 engines are covered with full details, dimensions, and subsequent history. ‘Crampton’s London, Namur and his monster Liverpool, the famous Bloomers’, the so called ‘Extra-large Bloomers’, Mac’s Mangle’ and the intrigues of the Stephensons are featured with some hoary legends debunked. Chapters are devoted to the South Staffordshire Railway – whose engines became part of the LNWR Southern Division stock – and to Wolverton, the first planned railway town, and its Locomotive Works.