Bloomer was a name used to refer to three similar classes of 2-2-2 express passenger locomotives designed by James McConnell for the Southern Division of the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). A total of seventy-four were built between 1851 and 1862. The classes were similar in design and layout but differed in dimensions.

History The name "Bloomer" was at first a nickname, but was quickly adopted officially. The nickname was a topical one in the autumn of 1851 when the first engine arrived on the line, because of the current popular excitement aroused by the appearance of women wearing trousers, as advocated by Mrs Amelia Bloomer. The widespread belief that they were nicknamed so because they showed more of their wheels than earlier engines is unsubstantiated as most earlier engines on the line had exposed drivers.

Another myth is that until 1862 the Bloomers (and other Southern Division engines) were painted vermilion. They were not, although some were painted a very dark plum-red from 1861, before the standard livery reverted to green in the following year, and then changed to black from 1873.

In April 1862, the Southern Division locomotives were renumbered into the all-LNWR series by the addition of 600 to each engine's number.

Apart from two of the 6 ft 6 in engines which were scrapped in 1866, all the Bloomers were given nameplates in 1872; the names awarded were of the usual miscellaneous variety customary on the LNWR.

(a) 7 ft driving wheel Bloomers ('Large Bloomers' from 1862)

The design of these was derived from six successful 2-2-2 locomotives supplied to the railway by Bury, Curtis and Kennedy in 1848. McConnell substituted plate frames, provided larger boilers and driving wheels. The first twenty were built by Sharp, Stewart and Company in 1851–1853. A further twenty examples were built in 1861/2: five by Sharp Stewart & Co., five by Kitson and Company, and ten at the Wolverton railway works of the LNWR.London and North Western Railway Society.

They were numbered 247–256, 287–296 and 389–408 until 1862, when they were renumbered by the addition of 600, becoming 847 to 1008.

The locomotives were primarily used on express passenger services between London and Birmingham and, from 1860, also from Rugby to Stafford.

During the 1860s and 1870s, most of the class were rebuilt with new (Crewe) boilers; the original tenders were reduced to hold after the introduction of water troughs on the main line. Withdrawals took place between June 1876 and November 1888. + 1854SouthernDivisionNo. Maker Serialnumber Datebuilt 1862LNWRNo. 1872name Datescrapped Notes 247 Sharp Brothers 677 847 Odin 248 Sharp Brothers 678 848 Hecate 249 Sharp Brothers 679 849 Aeolus Involved in Atherstone collision of 16 Nov 1860 and Easenhall bridge boiler explosion of 4 July 1861 250 Sharp Brothers 680 850 Columbine Involved in Harrow collision of 26 Nov 1870 251 Sharp Brothers 681 851 Apollo 252 Sharp Brothers 682 852 Basilisk 253 Sharp Brothers 683 853 Vulture 254 Sharp Brothers 684 854 Dalemain 255 Sharp Brothers 685 855 Sandon 256 Sharp Brothers 686 856 Ingestre 287 Sharp Brothers 700 887 Knowsley 288 Sharp Brothers 701 888 Hydra 289 Sharp Brothers 702 889 Camilla 290 Sharp Brothers 703 890 Helvellyn 291 Sharp Brothers 704 891 Duke 292 Sharp Brothers 705 892 Polyphemus 293 Sharp Brothers 710 893 Harpy Renumbered 1817 in Dec 1884 294 Sharp Brothers 712 894 Trentham 295 Sharp Brothers 713 895 Torch Renumbered 1828 in Dec 1884 and 3050 in Nov 1886 296 Sharp Brothers 715 896 Daedalus 399 Sharp, Stewart 1289 999 Medusa Renumbered 1898 in Dec 1884 400 Sharp, Stewart 1290 1000 Umpire Renumbered 1902 in Dec 1884 401 Sharp, Stewart 1291 1001 Leviathan 402 Sharp, Stewart 1292 1002 Theseus 403 Sharp, Stewart 1293 1003 Tamerlane Renumbered 1905 in Dec 1884 404 Kitson & Co. 899 1004 Lucifer 405 Kitson & Co. 900 1005 Achilles 406 Kitson & Co. 901 1006 Proserpine 407 Kitson & Co. 902 1007 President 408 Kitson & Co. 903 1008 Rowland Hill Renumbered 1907 in Dec 1884 389 Wolverton Works — 989 Archimedes Renumbered 1853 in Dec 1884 and 3071 in Nov 1886 390 Wolverton Works — 990 Alaric Renumbered 1881 in Dec 1884 391 Wolverton Works — 991 Japan 392 Wolverton Works — 992 Stork Renumbered 1882 in Dec 1884 and 3023 in May 1887 393 * Wolverton Works — 993 Burmah 394 * Wolverton Works — 994 Ariel 395 * Wolverton Works — 995 Briareus 396 * Wolverton Works — 996 Raglan 397 * Wolverton Works — 997 Baronet 398 * Wolverton Works — 998 Una Renumbered 1897 in Dec 1884 * Number assigned, but possibly never carried

(b) 6 ft 6 in driving wheels ('Small Bloomers')

Eleven smaller examples were built with driving wheels in 1854 for use on secondary fast main-line trains and branch lines of the Southern Division. These engines were originally intended by McConnell to be a 7 ft-wheel variant of his Patent class, but the design was altered by order of the directors to a smaller version of the successful Bloomers. Like them, the design was closely based on the Bury, Curtis & Kennedy 6 ft single of 1848; McConnell called the Small Bloomer design 'Bury's Improved'.

Seven were built by R and W Hawthorn and four by Vulcan Foundry. A further twenty of this design were built at Wolverton Works between 1857 and 1861. Numbers originally carried were an assortment from 2 to 381, renumbered 602 to 981 in 1862. Two were withdrawn in 1866, but the others were rebuilt between 1868 and 1876; the last one was scrapped in 1887.

+ Table of locomotives 1854SouthernDivisionNo. 1856SouthernDivisionNo. Maker Serialnumber Datebuilt 1862LNWRNo. 1872name Datescrapped Notes 310 13 Vulcan Foundry 358 613 — 311 14 Vulcan Foundry 359 614 Wyre 312 15 Vulcan Foundry 360 615 Lune 313 17 Vulcan Foundry 361 617 Partridge 314 23 R. & W. Hawthorn 842 623 Medea 315 24 R. & W. Hawthorn 843 624 — 316 25 R. & W. Hawthorn 844 625 Mastodon 317 26 R. & W. Hawthorn 845 626 Earl 318 27 R. & W. Hawthorn 846 627 Bulldog 319 29 R. & W. Hawthorn 847 629 Swan 320 30 R. & W. Hawthorn 865 630 Ribble — 7 Wolverton Works — 607 Inglewood — 21 Wolverton Works — 621 Bela — 103 Wolverton Works — 703 Osprey — 140 Wolverton Works — 740 St. David Renumbered 1947 in Nov 1884 — 238 Wolverton Works — 838 Petrel — 240 Wolverton Works — 840 Lonsdale — 2 Wolverton Works — 602 Caliban — 165 Wolverton Works — 765 Herald Renumbered 1952 in Nov 1884 — 168 Wolverton Works — 768 Glyn — 180 Wolverton Works — 780 Bucephalus — 3 Wolverton Works — 603 Langdale Renumbered 1941 in Nov 1884 — 66 Wolverton Works — 666 Pheasant — 117 Wolverton Works — 717 Swift — 189 Wolverton Works — 789 Cadmus — 317 Wolverton Works — 917 Napier — 377 Wolverton Works — 977 Sultan Renumbered 1954 in Nov 1884 — 378 Wolverton Works — 978 Mammoth Renumbered 1957 in Nov 1884 — 379 Wolverton Works — 979 Wasp — 380 Wolverton Works — 980 Vandal Renumbered 1816 in Dec 1884 and 3038 in Nov 1886 — 381 Wolverton Works — 981 Councillor Renumbered 1925 in Dec 1883

(c) 7 ft 6 in driving wheel (H-class 'Special Bloomers') Three examples were built by Wolverton Works with driving wheels together with McConnell’s patented firebox in 1861, which were intended for the fastest expresses. They were heavier than had been planned, so a further two engines, ordered and under construction, were cancelled in February 1862. This led to McConnell’s immediate resignation. The three completed engines (Nos. 372/3/5) went into store, so hardly ran in their original state. One of them (No. 373) was put on show at the 1862 International Exhibition in South Kensington from May to November 1862.

After rebuilding with normal boilers in 1866/7, they worked until withdrawal in 1880 and 1882. Many years later, they were described as "Extra-large Bloomers".

+ Table of locomotives SouthernDivisionNo. Datebuilt 1862LNWRNo. 1865DuplicateNo. 1871CapitalNo. 1872Name 1879DuplicateNo. Datescrapped 372 972 1152 1198 Delamere 1940 373 973 1155 1199 Caithness 1885 375 975 1166 1200 Maberley 1871

Replicas

An accurate full-size, non-working replica was built, by apprentices, for static display outside Milton Keynes station in 1991. It represented the type as in 1873–76 condition, was numbered '1009' as if to follow the last of the class, 1008, and was named 'Wolverton' to commemorate the Southern Division Works, although no engine was so named on the LNWR. It was taken into Wolverton Works (then owned by Alstom and later by Railcare) in 2006 for renovation and repainting. The renovation was funded and carried out by the various owners of Wolverton works and latterly by Knorr-Bremse RailServices at Wolverton Works. The Wolverton and Greenleys Town Council and the Wolverton Arts and Heritage Society wanted the replica to have a position on Stratford road outside the Railway works but this was not viable and led to much delay in the re-siting the model. On 3 March 2017, the replica was moved to its new home at Milton Keynes Museum.

A full-size working engine as in original Southern Division condition (pre-1862) was begun at Tyseley in 1986 and was 90% completed by 1990. It has never been finished; however, the LNWR Bloomer project was launched in June 2019 in order to complete the locomotive.

References