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A1 60163 Tornado

After the second world war the railways of Britain were not only in a state of near dilapidation but were very short of experienced maintenance staff and footplate crews. There was a need for locomotives which would respond well to these conditions and also be capable of hauling much heavier trains than in the halcyon days prior to the war. The London and North Eastern Railway responded to this need by producing the A1 class locomotives which had the largest firebox of all the LNER pacifics at 50 square feet. The locomotives were designed by Arthur Peppercorn and quickly proved that they were capable of hauling anything hung on the draw hook, they steamed well and were much lighter on maintenance than their predecessors. Sadly in the rush to remove steam power all were cut up by 1966.

There the story would have ended had it not been for The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust which built another one completing the job in 2008, 60 years after the first of the class were built. Remarkably Arthur Peppercorn's widow, Dorothy, is president of the Trust. The construction was largely funded by many people contributing a small sum each month and the completed locomotive is a testimony to their vision. At a cost of £3 million this new locomotive is a wonderful addition to the Cathedrals Express and to main line steam in general.

60163 presently carries the livery which graced the first 30 of the original locomotives which is LNER apple green with black and white lining and "BRITISH RAILWAYS" written in full on the tender as in 1948 the newly formed organization had not adopted any emblem or crest for its locomotives. The whole of the locomotive and tender is hand painted.

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London North Eastern Railway A4 Class Pacific 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley

In 1935 the London and North Eastern Railway introduced the streamlined A4 Class locomotives to the design of the then H.N. Gresley (later to be Sir). Initially introduced to haul the new Silver Jubilee express between London and Newcastle the engines were an instant success with the first of them, Silver Link, setting a new British speed record of 112mph on the first press run! Such performances were not the norm but the engines were always regarded as the racehorses of the fleet and of course on 3rd July 1938 A4 Mallard set an all time world speed record for steam traction of 126mph.

In 1937 the 100th Pacific to the designs of Gresley was built by the London and North Eastern Railway, and the railway honoured her designer by giving the locomotive his name. This loco, Sir Nigel Gresley, now bearing the British Railways number 60007, was saved from scrapping in 1966 by a small group of determined men who set up the A4 Preservation Society.

As well as its name the locomotive also became destined for preservation when on May 23rd 1959 it set a post-war world speed record of 112mph when working a special train from Doncaster to London. Since then it enjoed a period of time working in Scotland before being preserved. Working on the main line in the 1970s, 80s and 90s Steam Dreams was priveleged to be the first tour promoter to use the locomotive in the new millenium as once again thousands can enjoy this Rolls Royce of steam engines hauling their train.

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Oliver Cromwell - a brief history

BR Pacific No. 70013, Oliver Cromwell, is Britain’s great steam survivor. On August 11th 1968 she hauled British Rail’s very last steam train, bringing down the curtain on an era that stretched back to 1804.

When British Rail was formed by the nationalisation of the railways on January 1st 1948, it surprised many by developing steam, rather than experimenting with diesels and electrics. Launched in a blaze of patriotism, the new design of steam locomotive was christened 'Britannia' and marked a post-war revival for the railways.

The first of the new engines, including Oliver Cromwell, worked expresses between London and East Anglia where they soon revolutionised services. Just three years later, BR unveiled its modernisation plan revealing steam would be swept away.

Oliver Cromwell played an integral part in steam’s last rites, becoming the very last steam locomotive to be overhauled at Crewe and by the end of the year she became the very last Pacific in service.

Regular BR steam ended on August 3 1968, but Oliver Cromwell was honoured when she was chosen as the locomotive for the emotional final farewell to steam. The Fifteen Guinea Special ran on August 11 between Liverpool Lime Street and Carlisle.

Oliver Cromwell made its debut on the Cathedrals Express on a magnificent trip from London Liverpool Street to Norwich in September 2008 and is scheduled to haul further tours throughout the spring and summer.

Oliver Cromwell is part of the National Collection based at the National Railway Museum in York and is in the custodianship of the 5305 Locomotive Association, based at Loughborough, who manage the locomotive on a day to day basis.