He served an apprenticeship under John Aspinall at the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR)'s Horwich Works from 1887 to 1891.

[4] In 1919, Fowler was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) for his contributions to the war effort.

The small engine policy resulted in frequent double-heading, as the locomotives were not powerful enough to cope with loads, and thus increased expense.

In 1928, the LMS introduced the Royal Scot 4-6-0 express passenger locomotive, based on the SR Lord Nelson Class.

In another departure from the small engine policy, several 2-6-0+0-6-2 Beyer-Garratts were acquired for the Toton-Brent coal trains.

However, interference from Derby meant that the locomotives received standard small axle-boxes and short-travel valves, with the result that they were poor performers.