4-6-2 Class A3 LNER Profile and Models

The London and North Eastern Railway LNER Gresley Classes A1 and A3 locomotives represented two distinct stages in the history of the British 4-6-2 "Pacific" steam locomotives designed by Nigel Gresley. They were designed for main line passenger services, initially on the Great Northern Railway (GNR), a constituent company of the London and North Eastern Railway after the amalgamation of 1923, for which they became a standard design. The change in class designation to A3 reflected the fitting to the same chassis of a higher pressure boiler with a greater superheating surface and a small reduction in cylinder diameter, leading to an increase in locomotive weight. Eventually all of the A1 locomotives were rebuilt, most to A3 specifications, but no. 4470 was completely rebuilt as Class A1/1. The names for the locomotives came from a variety of sources. The first, Great Northern, was named after its parent company. Others were given the names of high-ranking railway officials, but most were given the names of famous racehorses. One was named after the company's most famous long-distance passenger train, the Flying Scotsman. Flying Scotsman is the sole survivor of the class to be preserved.

(Information provided via Wikipedia)

Type of Locomotive

Steam

Wheel Formation

4-6-2

Doncaster Works & North British Locomotive Co

Total Built

A1: 52
A3: 51 Rebuilt + 27 New

Build Dates

1922 - 1949

Top Speed

A1: 100mph
A3: 108mph

Tractive Effort

A1: 29,835lbf
A3: 30,362 lbf

Operated By

LNER
British Railways

Main Duties

Express Passenger

In Service Until

1966

Surviving Examples

1