The Roger Bell Collection – A brief guide to the nameplates and numberplates.

More information is available in the collection’s guide book available from the museum front desk.  This book also includes photographs of each of the locomotives.

The roof beam gallery:

Experiment
The first-of-class of George Whale’s 4-6-0s built at Crewe for the LNWR in 1905.

Buffalo
One of the LNWR’s ‘Experiment’ class engines, built in 1909.

Prince of Wales
The first-of-class built in 1911, the name originating from an Experiment class built in 1910.

Miles MacInnes
A ‘Queen Mary’ class 4-4-0 and one of only ten built to the design of C J Bowen Cooke.  This class of engines was later modified with superheaters to make them comparable with the ‘George the Fifth’ class.  This is the only known example of a nameplate from this class.

Wild Duck
A ‘George the Fifth’ class 4-4-0 noted for its high speed run between London and Crewe in 1912.

Sir Gilbert Claughton
The first-of-class 4-6-0 four-cylinder express engine designed by C J Bowen Cooke.  It appeared at the 100 anniversary celebrations in 1925 to mark the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway.

Ralph Brocklebank
A ‘Claughton’ class 4-6-0 built in 1913 and rebuilt with a larger boiler in 1928

Baltic
Built in 1917, this member of the ‘Claughton’ class only received its name in 1923, and was one of the few LNWR nameplates to incorporate the LMS legend.  The engine was rebuilt with a large boiler and Caprotti valve gear in 1928.

Duchess of Abercorn
One of Sir William Stanier’s celebrated express locomotives.  It is noted for its record-breaking power output when tested with a double exhaust system in 1939, a British record still to be surpassed.

The wall gallery:

Alfred the Great
The first-of-class of F W Webb’s final design of express compound engine.  It was modified in 1904 and rebuilt in 1922 as a two-cylinder simple engine of the ‘Renown’ class, before withdrawal from service in 1931.

Topsy
One of the five engines built for the Crewe Works narrow gauge railway system.  Built in 1867 and withdrawn in 1929.

2578
The cabside numberplate from 2578 Fame, a ‘Precursor’ class 4-4-0 built in 1905. It is thought to be the only surviving cast brass example from an LNWR locomotive,

Coronation
From ‘George the Fifth’ class 4-4-0 built in 1911 and named to honour the regal event of that that year.

Earlestown
A name first carried by a 2-4-0 tank engine used in the LNWR’s Earlestown wagon works in 1859.  In 1881 the nameplate was transferred to a new 0-6-0 saddle tank engine.  This engine moved to Wolverton when the wagon works closed in the 1950s.

Holyhead and 6
Carried by an 0-6-0 saddle tank engine, after rebuilding in 1896 at Crewe, and sent to the Dundalk Newry & Greenore Railway in Ireland.

Bee
This name was originally carried on a ‘DX’ goods engine and re-applied to a ‘Samson’ class in 1864.  This engine was rebuilt as a ‘Waterloo’ class in 1890, the nameplate having this date stamped above the 1864 build date. 

Duchess of Lancaster
From an LNWR ‘Precedent’ class 2-4-0, built in 1880, rebuilt in 1897, and withdrawn for scrap in 1927

Howe
This engine, built in 1903, was the last of F W Webb’s express compound engines to remain in service and the only one to receive a superheated boiler.  It was withdrawn in 1928.

Violet
This nameplate was known to be carried on an LNWR ‘DX’ class 0-6-0 built in 1861.  The nameplate was transferred to a new ‘Samson’ 2-4-0 in 1863 and the date amended, as can be seen.  The engine was rebuilt as a ‘Waterloo’ in 1893 and scrapped in 1930. 

The Leicestershire Regiment
This was one of the ‘Rebuilt Claughton’ class later to become known as ‘Patriots’.  Built in 1934 it received its name in 1938, but was renamed ten years later after the regiment had acquired the Royal prefix.  It utilised the original crests.  This plate has been reacquainted with one of these crests to depict its appearance during its LMS days.

Private E Sykes VC
Named in honour of the LNWR employee who was awarded the VC for valour during the First World War.

Patriot
A name originally applied to the LNWR’s First Word War memorial engine, the name was revived in 1937 and applied to the first of the ‘Rebuilt Claughtons’ which had previously been named Croxteth.  This engine then took on the role as the LMS memorial engine.

British Legion
This name was applied to the rebuild of the experimental locomotive Fury, and became the precursor to the rebuilding of the ‘Royal Scot’ class of 4-6-0.

(Crest of) Royal Army Ordnance Corps
Applied above the nameplate of this ‘Patriot’ class 4-6-0.

(Crest of) Lanarkshire Yeomanry
Applied below the nameplate of this class 5MT 4-6-0

Ayrshire Yeomanry
One of only four LMS class 5MT 4-6-0s to be named.  This engine was one of the last in service with British Railways and amongst the few to haul special ‘last’ trains on the final day of steam working in August 1968.  The train it worked was organised by GC Enterprises on behalf of the Stockport (Bahamas) Locomotive Society (our original name) and thus holds a close affinity with the museum.

2
This numberplate was carried by an L&YR 4-wheel battery-electric locomotive built in 1917.  It was used at the L&Y’s Clifton Power Station.