A1/A3 horse names

[Captain Cuttle]

Nice pic.

Built and broken up at Doncaster.

It is surprising how appeals by towns were not raised to save some of these locos. Blue Peter was saved by the children's programme, or partly. There was a great deal of nostalgia for the steam locos, but no organisation.

[Flying Scotsman]

Hi there,

I was wondering.... erm was 60107 (4476) Royal Lancer named after a race horse or from a Royal Lancer.

The reason for this particular locomotive being is that I would of tried to save it had I been alive when it was still in existance.

Thanks Everbody!

[60041]

Royal Lancer was named after the horse that won the 1919 St Leger and Irish St Leger.

[Flamingo]

Browsing on eBay at the weekend I came across someone who sold cigarette cards, and on his list were lots of the Gresley A1/A3 racehorse names. They were a series of 50, all of them Derby winners. Each card showed a picture of a racehorse that won the Derby in various years going right back to the 1860s. I was momentarily tempted to buy one or two of these cards but at £6.00 each it seemed a bit steep.

However had the LNER restricted its choice to Derby winners when naming the Pacifics we might have seen names such as Blue Gown (1868 Derby winner), Pretender (1869) and Volodyovski (1901). Perhaps we were better off without those 3. But I wouldn't have minded seeing Favonius (1871) or Silvio (1877).

[redtoon1892]

Buy a repro set from here :-



http://www.pasttimes.biz/cdshorseracing.htm

[Captain Cuttle]

Excellent site. The prices seem fair.

There were some missed opportunities with horses names. 'Formosa' was a great horse, and 'Eclipse' as mentioned before, would have been good names for locos.

[BJamieson]

Glad to see a bit earlier that I'm not the only person who thinks the name "T*rn*d*" is simply not apposite for an A1 and I totally agree with "Bullhead". Being from the south of Scotland, it would have been nice to have seen one of the D29/D30 Scott names which were never reused applied to 60163 - "The Fair Maid" and "Talisman" come to mind as being particularly appropriate, "Jingling Geordie" and "Wandering Willie" perhaps the opposite, despite being rather sonorous! As regards "hq1hitchin's" suggestion that the name could be changed at some point in the future, the loco now seems to be so firmly fixed in the public mind with its current name that I really can't see it happening.
Bill

[S.A.C. Martin]

It would have been a nice touch to name 'Tornado' something like "Nijinsky" the last Triple Crown winner (2000gns, Derby, St Leger) or the greatest of them all "Eclipse", considered to be the father of the Thoroughbred.

I warmly agree. The name "Tornado" has no particular link with any LNER naming tradition that I can think of, as well as being associated with a machine whose purpose (despite its undoubted glamour) is to kill and destroy. "Eclipse", however, would not only perpetuate the racehorse tradition but the word's literal meaning - something surpassing or outshining its neighbours - would surely be very appropriate to this beautiful new locomotive.

If I could interject, the choice of name was not necessarily to honour the aircraft as such (though on the original nameplates the Tornado aircraft appears in the original crests, found here: http://www.a1steam.com/index.php?option ... &Itemid=71), but for the pilots who flew said aircraft during the Gulf War. I feel that is wholly more worthy as to her name than the machine itself.

I do agree, "Eclipse" is a fine name and would suit 60163 very well - perhaps a renaming/numbering to 60164 is in order in the future? (Or indeed, the building of a future 60164 perhaps...!)

On regards renaming Tornado for special events, I have over the last year saved up for some replica nameplates for "Kestrel" - a locomotive I have a particular affinity for as it was my late grandfathers favourite when he worked at Copley Hill (and is one of the most photographed engines in his collection). I hope to lend the A1 Trust the name and numberplate for when Tornado is in the express blue livery - his and my favourite livery. The trust are ameanable to the idea but it would have to be a photographic railtour I believe for a temporary "renaming" to take place.

[61070]

Simierski - so I could stand on Grantham down platform and take a photo like my Dad did 47 years ago (25th May 1962)?

Let me know if it happens!

[52D]

Belated or deja vu, today 31/07/09 Dick Turpin won the 4.00 race at Goodwood does that mean he has qualified to have a pacific named after him.

[Flamingo]

Simierski - so I could stand on Grantham down platform and take a photo like my Dad did 47 years ago (25th May 1962)?

Let me know if it happens!

Or like I did at Hornsey on 26 April 1963, which was only a few weeks before steam traction on the ECML south of Peterborough officially ended. I seem to recall it was a Friday evening and there were still 4 or 5 steam hauled trains out of KX between about 5.30 and 6.30 pm. glimpses of Ferme Park yards can also be seen in this picture.

I'm also looking forward to seeing 60163 in the early BR Blue. It will look much better in that livery and hopefully they might even agree to a temprary renaming.

[S.A.C. Martin]

Simierski - so I could stand on Grantham down platform and take a photo like my Dad did 47 years ago (25th May 1962)?

Let me know if it happens!

Or like I did at Hornsey on 26 April 1963, which was only a few weeks before steam traction on the ECML south of Peterborough officially ended. I seem to recall it was a Friday evening and there were still 4 or 5 steam hauled trains out of KX between about 5.30 and 6.30 pm. glimpses of Ferme Park yards can also be seen in this picture.

I'm also looking forward to seeing 60163 in the early BR Blue. It will look much better in that livery and hopefully they might even agree to a temprary renaming.

Chaps, those pics of Kestrel have made my day - many thanks. It does show one thing - Kestrel had a split handrail in BR green, which means for BR blue my nameplates would be correct, but not for the later livery.

I have talked to Mark Allatt on the subject a few times, he was happy to accomodate provided it was a few years after Tornado's inception on the main line.

I am very much looking forward to the blue livery - I'd like it very much if we could line up 60007 and 60163 together in the blue. Its a dream to think 60103 might be in blue too, but she may not be in steam let alone in apple green by the time Tornado is painted blue, sadly!

[61070]

It does show one thing - Kestrel had a split handrail in BR green, which means for BR blue my nameplates would be correct, but not for the later livery.

Looking at the two pictures, in the earlier photo (May 1962) the smokebox door handrail is continuous, but by the time Flamingo took his picture (April 1963) the top lamp iron had been fiitred in a lower position, and the handrail split to accommodate this modification. I hadn't noticed this difference.

[stembok]

61070: The split handrail arrangement on the smokebox door was brought in for Pacifics and V2s shopped at Doncaster post December,1961. 60130 had a 'general' in early 1963 outshopped February and so received the revised arrangement. 60130 must have been one of the last A1s to receive a 'general' at Doncaster,-60121 and 60152 were slightly later -and a number of the class later received heavy repairs at Darlington in 1963-64.

[giner]

Wonder what the benefit was in changing the handrails. Almost seems like a make-work project to me.