Gresley A4's

From 1935, a new class of Pacific loco was built, a total of 35 engines of the world famous A4's.  First among these were the four "Silver Jubilee" engines, liveried in white and grey, as were their coaches, they formed the flagship service between London King's Cross and Edinburgh Waverley Street.  All were initially streamlined in the familiar wedge shape, with the rest of the class in Garter Blue livery, of which, the most famous is the 4468 Mallard.  This was the engine which, on the 3^rd of July 1938, achieved a speed of 126.4 miles per hour on the downhill stretch between near Peterborough.  It is a world record, which has never been beaten.   Most are named after species of bird, with some in honour of the Empire. More of this class of locomotive have survived than any other from the time of steam.

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Thompson's Pacific's

The next generation of Pacific's to be built by the LNER were modified by Edward Thompson, the Chief Mechanical Engineer, who took over after the sudden death of Sir Nigel Gresley in 1941.  Known as Class A2's, they were built between 1941 and 1947.  They came in three subdivisions categorised as the Thomson A2/1's, Thomson A2/2's, and Thomson A2/3's.

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Arthur Peppercorn took over as Chief Engineer of the LNER on the retirement of Edward Thompson in 1946.  He had 18 months in office before the railways were nationalised by the post-war Labour government.  During that time he built two classes of Pacific's, the A1's and A2's, not to be confused with similar titles!  Of these, only some qualify here as being LNER engines, most were completed by the nationalised British Railways.

Of the BR built Peppercorn's, one survives, the A2 60532 Blue Peter.  49 Peppercorn A1's were eventually built, of which none have survived, however, 60163 Tornado, is being built by the A1 Trust as money allows.  This is no replica, it is, or will be, the soul survivor of Peppercorn designed A1's. The web site is at http://www.ambler.plus.com/