The George the Fifth Locomotive Project

We’re building an exceptional early twentieth century express passenger 4-4-0 steam locomotive. Our aim is to make good a gap in our steam locomotive heritage and create a new build LNWR George the Fifth for use on heritage railways and mainlines. An engine of this size and power is ideal for the permanent way and the requirements of most heritage lines yet powerful enough for mainline excursions, and as the sole representative of a 20th century LNWR express locomotive, would present a fascinating and potentially popular drawcard and represent a slice of rail travel at its zenith.

Charles Bowen Cooke’s compact George the Fifth 4-4-0 express locomotives were brilliant performers, on a par with much larger examples such as Great Western 4-6-0’s of the time. The pride of the magnificent London & North Western Railway, they were designed to fit their needs and the limitations of their permanent way. Their exploits included standing in for broken down early Royal Scots in the early days of the LMS, taking on 550 ton trains and meeting the schedule of the much larger locomotive are incredible but true yet sadly, not one of these locomotives survived into the steam preservation era