LNER Gresley Classes A1 and A3 in the context of Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)

⭐ Core Definition: LNER Gresley Classes A1 and A3

The London and North Eastern Railway Gresley Classes A1 and A3 were 4-6-2 "Pacific" steam locomotives designed by Nigel Gresley for passenger work. They were initially intended for use on the Great Northern Railway (GNR), but became a standard design on the London and North Eastern Railway after the amalgamation of 1923. The change in class designation from A1 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 and power. Eventually all but one of the A1 locomotives were rebuilt in this way, with no. 4470 being completely rebuilt as a 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.

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⭐ Core Definition: LNER Gresley Classes A1 and A3
LNER Gresley Classes A1 and A3 in the context of LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman
LNER Gresley Classes A1 and A3 in the context of Locomotive frame

LNER Gresley Classes A1 and A3 in the context of LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman

No. 4472 Flying Scotsman is an LNER Class A3 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built in 1923 for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) at Doncaster Works to a design of Nigel Gresley. It was employed on long-distance express passenger trains on the East Coast Main Line by LNER and its successors, British Railways' Eastern and North Eastern Regions, notably on The Flying Scotsman service, between London King's Cross and Edinburgh Waverley, after which it was named.

Retired from British Railways in 1963 after covering 2.08 million miles (3.35 million kilometres), Flying Scotsman has been described as the world's most famous steam locomotive. It had earned considerable fame in preservation under the ownership of, successively, Alan Pegler, William McAlpine, Tony Marchington, and, since 2004, the National Railway Museum. 4472 became a flagship locomotive for the LNER, representing the company twice at the British Empire Exhibition and in 1928, hauled the inaugural non-stop Flying Scotsman service. It set two world records for steam traction, becoming the first locomotive to reach the officially authenticated speed of 100 miles per hour (161 km/h) on 30 November 1934, and setting the longest non-stop run of a steam locomotive of 422 miles (679 km) on 8 August 1989 while on tour in Australia.

View the full Wikipedia page for LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman

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LNER Gresley Classes A1 and A3 in the context of Locomotive frame

A locomotive frame is the structure that forms the backbone of the railway locomotive, giving it strength and supporting the superstructure elements such as a cab, boiler or bodywork. The vast majority of locomotives have had a frame structure of some kind. The frame may in turn be supported by axles directly attached to it, or it may be mounted on bogies (known as trucks in American English), or a combination of the two. The bogies in turn will have frames of their own.

View the full Wikipedia page for Locomotive frame

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