Sir Nigel Gresley, the South Derbyshire engineer designed world famous and successful locos the Flying Scotsman and the Mallard
Now, plans to build another classic locomotive designed by the world-famous engineer is continuing to gather steam.
The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust is continuing its scheme to build a Gresley class V4 No. 3404 , which was the final engine designed by Gresley.
The engine was designed by Sir Nigel, who is best known for designing the Flying Scotsman and Mallard steam locos. Mallard, which was the fastest steam engine in the world, recording speeds of 126mph in 1938.
It has now been announced that an order has been placed by the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust for the class V4 to be built at Darlington Locomotive Works.
This will be the third new steam locomotive built by the trust. It is over 25 years ago – Wednesday 13th July 1994 – that the construction of No. 60163 Tornado officially started at the then British Steel facility in Leeds.
The Trustees have also agreed the high-level specification for the yet-to-be-named No. 3403. Although just two in number, the Gresley class V4s were very successful in traffic with no known design and development problems. The locomotive will have:
- A P2-style electrical system which is in itself developed from that successfully implemented on the A1
- Air plus vacuum brakes as on both A1 and P2 but with only one air pump due to the limited space available
- An all steel, all welded boiler with no thermic syphon – the one originally fitted to No. 3402 provided no discernible benefit and was removed in 1945
- A tender based on the LNER 4,200-gallon – as opposed to 3,500-gallon – tender with as much water capacity as possible – modifications made to the A1 and P2 tenders added around 1,200 gallons
- Roller bearings throughout as with A1 and P2
- The new P2 design of crank axle and pony truck
- Its monobloc cylinder block casting redesigned as a fabrication as with the P2
Sir Nigel Gresley was the chief mechanical engineer of the London and North Eastern Railway and designed a number of successful famous steam locomotives.
There is no specific appeal open for No. 3403 yet, any donations made towards it will be ring-fenced for the project. The next steps will be to launch a website for the project and The Founder’s Club to fund the early stages of the project. More announcements will be made during 2019 as the project builds up steam.”
