The LNER Encyclopedia

I've recently become interested in this particular A4. How did she perform in the Locomotive Exchange Trials? As late as her withdrawal was, were there any efforts to preserve her?

All 3 A4s in the 1948 trials performed well when running, but for mechanical problems due to maintenance deficit. (There were only four Kylchap ejector A4s in service at that time, and you can bet that as the best locos for fast long distance services these locos were being worked hard on the ECML amidst the prevailing post war difficulties.) A quick scan of the running performance data will show that even in this less than ideal mechanical condition, these machines were consistent in consumption, overall using less coal and water to do the work, when compared to the competing designs. (Both the testing and the analysis was very weak, the obvious question of how it was that pacific designs roughly one coach heavier than a 4-6-0 could outperform the 4-6-0 in consumption simply ignored. There are even comments that the A4 design evaporated less water in doing the work, as if this were a demerit. Clearly some had still to realise that putting the energy into the steam by superheating was a winning formula, some 40 years after this technique had been introduced...)

Preservation, I have to declare cynicism about locomotive identity. These were industrial assets which in the case of express locos were stripped down and re-erected annually with wholesale replacement of any component requiring it, and free exchange from a pool of components between the assets to return them to revenue earning service as fast as possible. The six preserved are representative of all 34 of the final design, whatever paint job, name and number may be seen on the outside. (Choices for preservation with potential for continuing operation in mind were guided by condition of the most expensive components, if the new owner(s) were rational rather than sentimental.)

Hatfield Shed wrote: ↑Fri May 27, 2022 10:29 am Preservation, I have to declare cynicism about locomotive identity.

I was watching a DVD recently and at Crewe works back in 1967 the A4 Sir Nigel Gresley was in the works for a complete overall before reappearing in its old LNER garter blue livery and then on into preservation anyway standing on one of the siding roads outside the works was a clapped out looking A4 Miles Beevor with the DVD narrator saying that either the driving wheels from Miles Beevor were going to be used on the newly overalled A4 Sir Nigel Gresley or they were going to be used as a spare set of driving wheels for Sir Nigel Gresley I can't remember which exactly?.

I've mentioned this before, but when I worked on 4498 overhauls at Carnforth (twice) much of the motion was stamped '26'.

Mickey wrote: ↑Mon May 30, 2022 11:00 am I was watching a DVD recently and at Crewe works back in 1967 the A4 Sir Nigel Gresley was in the works for a complete overall before reappearing in its old LNER garter blue livery and then on into preservation anyway standing on one of the siding roads outside the works was a clapped out looking A4 Miles Beevor with the DVD narrator saying that either the driving wheels from Miles Beevor were going to be used on the newly overalled A4 Sir Nigel Gresley or they were going to be used as a spare set of driving wheels for Sir Nigel Gresley I can't remember which exactly?.

Also seen on the same DVD mentioned above which I forgot to mention before was along with the two previously mentioned A4s above a third A4 Dwight D. Eisenhower was also in Crewe works at the same time and was also in for a complete overall before being transhipped to the USA. Also, no connection with any of the three Gresley A4s already mentioned was a 'gleaming' ex-works B.R.9F 2-10-0 I presume in for a final complete overall before being returned to traffic for its last few months or a year of traffic before scrapping that was standing beside Sir Nigel Gresley on the next road.