Gresley's A4 Class Locomotive 'Mallard' 4-6-2

Meticulously researched illustrations of the 'Mallard', the fastest steam engine on record.

Available as a high quality print in three different sizes.

Designed by Sir Nigel Gresley for the London North Eastern Railway , the Mallard is an A4 Class, 4-6-2 Pacific, built at Doncaster and entering service on March the 3rd 1938, works number 1870. Appearing first in LNER ‘Garter Blue’ livery numbered 4468 it was the first A4 to be fitted with the double chimney and Kylchap Bblastpipe, the locomotive had been in service only 4 months when it attained the world stream speed record of 126 mph on Stoke Bank, accelerating downhill with 6 coaches and a dynamometer car. The A4 locomotives all had three cylinders, the two outer Walschaerts motions connected by Gresley’s conjugating valve gear to the inside cylinder. These powered the three pairs of the 2.03 metre (6’8”) driving wheels.
The plaques on the boiler casing were not fitted until 1948.

Instantly recognisable by the streamlined design, the A4s came to be a symbol of 1930s luxury and fascination with speed. Built to haul express passenger trains on the LNER’s East Coast Main Line route from London Kings Cross via York to Newcastle, and later via Newcastle to Edinburgh, Scotland, they remained in service on the East Coast Main Line until the early 1960s. The 25th of April 1963 was the Mallard’s last day in service

The appearance of the A4s changed over the years. The valance over the wheels had been removed for easier maintenance of the valve gear in 1942. A4s entering traffic in the late 1930s had a Flaman speed recorder on the right-hand side just visible underneath the valance. These were removed during the war but the ‘Mallard’ had it refitted for the locomotive exchange trials in the 1948. Removed again in 1952, a Smith-Stone speed recorder was fitted in March 1960. The AWS was added in 1953.

The Mallard had several liveries applied over its working life. Beginning with the “Garter Blue” paint with red wheels and numbered 4462, this is also the livery for the ‘Mallard’ in its preserved state at the National Railway Museum in York. The Mallard’s was repainted and renumbered in two wartime black liveries, first as LNER 4468 in June 1942, then from October in 1943 as 4468 but with NE ion the tender. In 1946 LNER renumbered the A4’s, for a time the ‘Mallard’ appeared as number 22 in wartime black with NE on the tender. It reverted back to LNER ‘Garter Blue’ with red wheels in March 1948, now a British Railways locomotive but retaining the number 22 in stainless steel numerals on the cab side. September 1949 saw the ‘Mallard’ repainted in British Railways blue with black and white lining and boiler bands; and renumbered 60022. After British Railways abandoned the blue colour scheme all the A4’s were repainted in Brunswick Green, the ‘Mallard’ receiving its new colour in July 1952.

Mallard has had seven tenders throughout its career. It started off with a non-corridor tenders during in the LNER years. After nationalisation in 1948 the ‘Mallard’ was paired with streamlined, corridor tenders, allowing for crew exchanges without stopping the train. Able to carry 5,000 gallons of water and up to 9 tons of coal.