Johnson 115 class from an old post card

 

Samuel Waite Johnson introduced his 115 Class of 4-2-2s in 1887. 

As would be the case with William Dean's Achilles Class on the Great Western, the development of sanding applied directly by steam to the rails in front of the 7' 91/2" driving wheels controlled wheel slip but did not eliminate it completely, thus leading to the 115 Class being known as "Midland Spinners".
Despite this, 115 Class locomotives could handle a typical 250 ton Midland Railway express and even a 350 ton load under dry conditions and at speeds of up to 90 mph.  Thanks to the Midland's practice of building low powered locomotives and relying on double heading to cope with heavier trains as well,  many "Spinners" enjoyed working lives of up to 40 years and  made ideal pilot engines for the later Johnson / Deeley 4-4-0 classes.  The final ten - and enlarged - Midland 4-2-2s did not leave Derby Works until 1900.
In the Midland Railway 1907 renumbering scheme, the 115 Class were assigned numbers 670–684 and during the World War One most were placed in store - but surprisingly pressed into service afterwards as pilots on the Nottingham to London coal trains. They could also be seen on local stopping trains later in their lives.
Twelve locomotives survived to the 1923 grouping, keeping their Midland Railway numbers in LMS service. Nevertheless by 1927 only three of the class remained, with the last engine, 673 ( built in 1899 and formerly 118) being withdrawn in 1928 and preserved at the National Railway Museum at York. Several pictures of which of my own I have published in previous entries.