The LNWR Samson Class was a class of ninety steam locomotives built by the London and North Western Railway at their Crewe Works between 1863 and 1879.
They were officially designated "Curved Link 6-ft Passenger" due to the use of Stephenson valve gear which included a curved expansion link between the fore and back eccentric rods (earlier LNWR designs had used the Allan valve gear which had a straight expansion link) and the use of diameter wheel centres, which, together with thick tyres gave a driving wheel diameter of .
Ostensibly a mixed traffic design, they were the first locomotives with coupled driving wheels to be allocated for passenger duties on the LNWR.
History They were designed by John Ramsbottom who had fifty built, all without cabs and with pierced driving wheel splashers. Ramsbottom's successor F. W. Webb, built forty more, all with cabs. The earlier locomotives also gained cabs, and all eventually had their splashers filled in.
All ninety locomotives were 'renewed' (replaced) by a like number of Waterloo Class locomotives between 1889 and 1905, but only eighty were scrapped quickly. The ten exceptions were transferred to the Civil Engineer's list, and these were withdrawn between 1914 and 1925. No examples have been preserved.
Fleet list +List of LNWR Samson class locomotives LNWRNo. LNWR Name CreweWorksNo. Date built Date scrapped Notes 633 Samson 624 634 Ellesmere 625 733 Chimera 626 735 Charon 627 738 Terrier 628 752 Glowworm 629 757 Banshee 630 758 Hardman 631 763 Violet 632 821 Diomed 633 901 Hero 680 902 Onyx 681 628 Tartarus 682 724 Eden 683 748 Waterloo 684 764 Shap 685 792 Theorem 686 793 Martin 687 794 Woodlark 688 795 Falstaff 689 731 Croxteth 730 732 Hecla 731 736 Memnon 732 737 Roberts 733 739 Sutherland 734 742 Spitfire 735 828 Tubal 736 829 Turk 737 830 Trent 738 642 Bee 739 81 Greystock 780 Renamed Greystoke c.1884 1045 Whitworth 781 401 Zeno 782 404 Zophyrus 783 418 Zygia 784 419 Zillah 785 35 Talisman 786 36 Thalaba 787 124 Marquis Douro 788 231 Firefly 789 609 The Earl of Chester 880 632 Ostrich 881 746 Castor 882 814 Henrietta 883 817 Constance 884 819 Puck 885 824 Adelaide 886 832 Sanspareil 887 934 North Star 888 935 Planet 889 414 Prospero 1692 To duplicate list as 3271 in 1895; to Civil Engineer's Dept in 1903 as Engineer Lancaster; withdrawn 1924. 424 Sirius 1693 To duplicate list as 3206 in 1895; to Civil Engineer's Dept in 1899 as Engineer Crewe; withdrawn 1914. 604 Narcissus 1694 635 Zamiel 1695 636 Eclipse 1696 285 Phalaris 1697 444 Typhoon 1698 445 Ixion 1699 446 Siren 1700 805 Caliban 1701 434 1842 468 Wildfire 1843 469 1844 485 Euxine 1845 486 Skiddaw 1846 487 John O’Groat 1847 To duplicate list as 3199 in 1894; to Civil Engineer's Dept in 1895 as Spare Engine, to Engineer Liverpool in 1903; withdrawn 1921. 631 Hotspur 1848 To duplicate list as 3273 in 1896; to Civil Engineer's Dept in 1901 as Engineer Manchester; withdrawn 1914. 1163 John O’Gaunt 1849 90 Luck of Edenhall 1850 885 Vampire 1851 To duplicate list as 3269 in 1895; to Civil Engineer's Dept in 1897; became Spare Engine in 1923; withdrawn 1925. 2150 Atlas 1852 2151 Baltic 1853 To duplicate list as 3268 in 1895; to Civil Engineer's Dept in 1901 as Engineer Walsall; withdrawn 1923. 2152 Sybil 1854 2153 Isis 1855 2154 Loadstone 1856 2155 Liver 1857 2156 Sphinx 1858 2157 Unicorn 1859 To duplicate list as 3272 in 1895; to Civil Engineer's Dept in 1905 as Spare Engine; withdrawn 1923. 2158 Serpent 1860 2159 Shark 1861 2350 Centaur 2279 Renumbered 773 in 1879; to duplicate list as 3200 in 1894; to Civil Engineer's Dept in 1895 as Engineer Watford; withdrawn 1923. 2351 Saddleback 2280 Renumbered 1162 in 1879. 2352 Odin 2281 Renumbered 1164 in 1879. 2353 Wyre 2282 Renumbered 1166 in 1879; to duplicate list as 3270 in 1895; to Civil Engineer's Dept in 1902 as Engineer Bangor; withdrawn 1925. 2354 Cuckoo 2283 Renumbered 1168 in 1879. 2355 Kestrel 2284 Renumbered 852 in 1879. 2356 Petrel 2285 Renumbered 209 in 1879; to duplicate list as 3198 in 1894, transferred to Civil Engineer's Dept in 1902 as Engineer Northampton; withdrawn 1923 2357 Medea 2286 Renumbered 995 in 1879. 2358 Mastodon 2287 Renumbered 479 in 1879. 2359 Pheasant 2288 Renumbered 263 in 1879.
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