Since the Midland Railway had good experiences with their class 1000 compound 4-4-0s, the LMS ordered locomotives which were nearly identical. Out of a total of 195, 75 each were built by Vulcan Foundry and Derby, 25 by North British and 20 by Horwich.

Like the Midland locomotives, they were three-cylinder compounds with a central high pressure cylinder and two slightly larger outside low pressure cylinders. Changes included driving wheels which were three inches smaller, a superheater that was installed from the beginning and cylinders which measured 19 3/4 and 21 3/4 inches in diameter.

After only a short time, the cylinder diameters were changed to 19 and 21 inches to equal the Midland locomotives. They were used in the same tasks as their predecessors, what meant light, fast expresses. Their service life was longer than that of their predecessors, so the withdrawals took place between 1952 and 1961.

For a new non-stop train between London and Glasgow, the LMS commissioned a new Pacific in the mid-1930s, which was supposed to be stronger, more reliable and easier to maintain than the Princess Royal. The train was called “Coronation Scot” and the locomotive “Coronation class”. The ten locomotives from the first batch and ten more from a later batch were built streamlined. This was apparently not planned at the beginning, but was subsequently decided due to the public appeal of the competing LNER A4.

No. 6220 “Coronation” achieved a British record of 114 mph (183 km/h) in 1937, which only lasted one year. Another record was also broken in 1939 with 2,511 hp on the drawbar, which still stands today for British steam locomotives. The streamlined paneling was removed from all locomotives by 1948 because the advantages over the much more complicated maintenance were limited. Most were scrapped between 1962 and 1964 after they were replaced by electric locomotives and no further use could be found. No. 6233 “Duchess of Sutherland” is the only one of the three surviving that was operational in 2023, but was withdrawn without further notice.

In his short career as Chief Mechanical Engineer at the LMS, Charles Fairburn designed only one steam locomotive. This was a direct development of Stanier's 2-6-4T, having a shorter rigid wheelbase to be able to negotiate tighter curves. This also led to a weight that was 3 tons 8 cwt lighter.

236 were built for the LMS and BR at Derby between 1945 and 1950. In 1950 and 1951, 41 more were built at Brighton for the Southern Region. They also formed the basis for the BR Standard class 4 tank. Withdrawals took place between 1961 and 1967 and two are surviving at the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway. As of 2024, 42073 is operational and 42085 is being overhauled.

The LMS Fowler class 4P was the first in a series of 2-6-4T tank locomotives designed for long-distance commuter services. It was introduced in 1927 by Henry Fowler and formed the basis for derivatives by Stanier, Fairburn and Riddles. 125 of this class were build in Derby until 1934.

Their leading axle was of the same type as the one used on the Schenectady Moguls the Midland Railway received in 1899. They had a relatively high ratio of superheating and driving wheels of 5 ft 8 in which were good for speeds of 80 mph (129 km/h) and more. The last 30 locomotives built had more modern cabs with side windows and doors.

They were not only used for commuter trains, but also as bankers for passenger and goods trains on the Shap incline. They were withdrawn between 1959 and 1966 and none was preserved. In 2015, the LMS Patriot Project announced that they are planning to build a new member of this class when their No. 5551 “The Unknown Warrior” has been completed.

After a series of 0-6-0T tank locomotives developed for the Midland Railway, Henry Fowler's class 3F built for the LMS was the last one in the row. Based on the MR class 2441 built from 1899, these had a smaller boiler with a Belpaire firebox. It got the nickname “Jinty” and is said to have reached speeds of up to 60 mph or 97 km/h, what is exceptional for a locomotive without leading or trailing axles. 

Between 1924 and 1931, a total of 422 were built by the LMS Horwich works and several commercial manufacturers. Some were used in France in World War II. British Railways inherited 412 and got five back from France. Withdrawals only started in 1959 and were finished in 1967.

The Class 4F was the last 0-6-0 goods locomotive that the LMS purchased. It was designed by Henry Fowler and was largely similar to the Midland Railway's Class 3835, which he had also developed. The biggest difference was that the new 4F had the driver's position on the left. With a wheel diameter of 63 inches or 1,600 mm, they were fast enough to be used for commuter trains. They also often suffered from overheated axle bearings, which was probably due to the LMS using cheaper lubricants and not due to the design itself.

Between 1923 and 1928, 530 locomotives were built by both the LMS workshops and commercial manufacturers. Between 1937 and 1941, 45 more followed at Stanier's behest. They all went to of British Railways in 1948 and were withdrawn between 1959 and 1966. Three locomotives were preserved, all of which are currently undergoing overhaul or restoration.

The LMS was the only British railway to order greater numbers of large Garratts. Although the Midland Railway's small engine policy had worked for most of the time, they needed much more powerful locomotives when even double-headed 0-6-0 locomotives became overwhelmed by heavy coal trains. They had to haul trains of 1,450 tons with a speed of 25 mph (40 km/h).

Three were built in 1927, followed by 30 more in 1930. Only one year later, 31 were fitted with the Beyer Peacock Patent Self-Trimming Coal Bunker. These cylindrical bunkers were revolved and oscillated by means of a two-cylinder steam engine, conveying the coal to the cab. These also reduced coal dust in the cab, but often got jammed.

One problem was the standard axle bearings designed by Derby, which the LMS insisted on and which turned out to be too weak. Another finding was that these locomotives were heavy on coal, even measured by their huge pulling power. Despite these issues, there were only retired between 1955 and 1958. They were replaced by locomotives like the BR Standard 9F that had a similar pulling power, but could also reach higher speeds with lighter trains.

The Horwich Mogul takes its name from the LMS works in Horwich, formerly Lancashire, where the first batch of these locomotives was built. However, it is better known by the name “Hughes Crab” given to her by rail enthusiasts. In order to accommodate the large cylinders within the loading gauge, engineer George Hughes was forced to incline them and set the connecting rods a few degrees upwards. Since this gave the impression of a crab with its claws, it was given this name. It was designed taking into account the latest knowledge and planned with the most modern assemblies available in terms of brakes, valves, boiler and tender. The design was only implemented under Henry Fowler and it was initially questionable whether all the innovations could actually be put into practice.

Due to the technical progress, however, it was possible to implement a large part of the innovations, while standard parts of the LMS only had to be used for the brake system and the boiler attachments. A standard model from Derby Works was used as the tender. Since the locomotive itself made full use of the available loading gauge and this was not the case with the tender, the latter was noticeably narrower than the locomotive's cab. A total of 70 were built at Horwich and a further 175 at Crewe between 1926 and 1932. These engines were particularly popular in Scotland on the mountainous routes when used in front of heavy ore and coal trains without continuous brakes.

Over time, some locomotives have been experimentally upgraded with modern parts. In 1934, five received Lentz valve gear, which they also kept. However, it stayed with these five. In 1954 a new chimney including a new blastpipe was tested on one locomotive. This increased the boiler's evaporative capacity by 25 percent, but it remained a one-off. The locomotives were retired between 1961 and 1967 and three remain in existence today. 13065 was preserved in operational condition and operated until 2018 when several faults were discovered in its boiler.

The steam locomotives built by the LMS after the Second World War also included Class 2 tender locomotives for mixed service, which were intended to replace older 0-6-0 locomotives. The choice fell on the 2-6-0 wheel arrangement in order to be able to easily increase power and speed. George Ivatt, who had recently been appointed chief engineer of the LMS at the time, used his newly designed tank locomotive with a 2-6-2T wheel arrangement as the basis. Compared to the tank locomotive, the water supply of the tender locomotive was increased from 1,350 to 3,000 gallons and the coal supply from 3 to 4 long tons. Thus, these locomotives could cover large distances, but with a weight of less than 50 long tons, they could be used universally.

Only 20 examples were built by the LMS in 1947 and 1948 and were numbered 6400 to 6419. British Railways added 40,000 to the running numbers and continued production. A total of 128 were made by 1953, which now bore the numbers 46400 to 46527. Beginning with 46465, the diameter of the cylinders was increased by one inch, increasing the locomotive's weight and pulling power. They formed the basis for the BR standard class 2 2-6-0, which was built until 1956. Both the Ivatt locos and the standard class were nicknamed “Mickey Mouse”. The end of service of the 128 locomotives of the original class was between 1961 and 1967 and today seven units are still preserved, six of which are or were operational and some were also used intensively on main routes.

To replace various older tank locomotives in mixed service, Ivatt chose the 2-6-2T wheel arrangement, as this was also very successful on the GWR's “Small Prairies”. He took the 2-6-2T of his predecessor Stanier and made the driving wheels a little smaller. Before nationalization, the LMS only manufactured ten locomotives in their Crewe workshops, with a further 120 being manufactured directly by British Railways there and in Derby. On the one hand, the class formed the basis for the 2-6-0 tender locomotive, which was developed in parallel, and on the other hand for the standard class 2 tank locomotive, which was built from 1953 onwards. The retirements took place between 1962 and 1967, i.e. in the same period as its successor.