Power Classification	7P reclassified 8P in 1951
Introduced	1948 – 1949 (1 built in 1922 rebuilt in 1945)
Designer	Peppercorn (1 Gresley rebuilt by Thompson)
Company	LNER and BR (1 GNR and LNER)
Weight – Loco	104t 2cwt (1 101t 0cwt)
Tender	60t 7cwt
Driving Wheels	6ft 8ins
Boiler Pressure	250psi superheated
Cylinders	Three – 19in x 26in
Tractive Effort	37,400lbf
Valve Gear	Walschaert (piston valve)

It has been said that the Thompson (who succeeded Gresley) had a dislike for all things to do with Gresley. It seems, therefore, to have been no coincidence that the Gresley prototype pacific of 1922 (4470 Great Northern) was chosen by Thompson to be rebuilt as the prototype for his new class of pacifics, in which almost all of Gresley’s distinctive features were totally eradicated.

Great Northern (BR numbered 60113, and classified A1/1) was rebuilt in September 1945 with an A4 type boiler, double blast-pipe chimney, three cylinders with derived drive, three sets of Walschaert valve gear and the wheelbase extended to 38ft 5in. Initially, the design incorporated wing-type smoke deflectors of the type used on the A2/1 and A2/2 classes. These were not very successful, so plans for large smoke deflectors were produced.

In the first few years of service, the rebuilt Great Northern suffered a number of teething problems. These were fixed, but it never played a prominent role on the East Coast Main Line. Although it was occasionally allocated to Kings Cross, it spent much of its career based at Doncaster or Grantham. Great Northern was even allocated to be the Grantham pilot for a while during the mid-1950s. Although usually remembered as a folly on Thompson’s part, it has to be remembered that the A1/1 was a better locomotive than either the A3 or A4 pacifics before they were converted to use Kylchap exhausts.

Peppercorn introduced his development of the class in 1948. They were identical in layout with Peppercorn’s A2 class but were fitted with larger 6ˊ8˝coupled wheels and with double blast-pipes and chimneys. They were originally fitted with plain topped chimneys carrying a lipped top, which generally improved their appearance.

The A1’s were excellent locomotives which ran and steamed well, and they required less maintenance than any of the other major express locomotive types running on BR. They were designed to cope with the heaviest passenger trains in the after-war period on the East Coast Main Line (London – York – Newcastle – Edinburgh – Aberdeen) which consisted normally of trains with up to 15 coaches and up to 550 tons. The Peppercorn A1s were able to pull such a train on the flat at a speed of 60–70 mph.

Five of the A1s (60153-7) were fitted with Timken roller bearings on all of their axles. These had already been tried successfully on some of the A4 tenders. These bearings were a trial with the intention of increasing the period between heavy repairs. This was successful, but was never expanded to include other members of the class.

One problem with the Kylchap exhaust arrangement, was that the sound of the ejectors whilst standing in the station was considerably louder than tannoy announcements. Three silencers were fitted experimentally, and were found to work. Similar silences were then recommended for the remaining Peppercorn A1s and the Kylchap-fitted Peppercorn A2s.

The only problem they experienced was that they were rough riders.

The locomotives all ran at first without names, but eventually they all carried names on the side of the smoke deflectors.

By summer of 1966 all 50 A1 and A1/1 class members had gone for scrap. The last to be withdrawn from stock was 60145 Saint Mungo after a working life of just 17 years. An effort was made to preserve 60145, but it failed due to a lack of funds.

Number in Service.

	Built		Withdrawals	No. in Service
	BR Numbers	Quantity
1945	60113	1		1
1948	60114-122 & 130-141	21		22
1949	60123-129 & 142-162	28		50
1950-61				50
1962			7	43
1963			6	37
1964			11	26
1965			24	2
1966			2	0

• 60114-60129 and 60153-60162 were built at Doncaster
• 60130-60152 were built at Darlington
• 60113 was rebuilt in 1945 as class A1/1 from the Gresley locomotive built in 1922.

Locomotive allocations

Depot as of January	1950	1960	1963	1964	1965	1966
Ardsley			3		2
Copley Hill (Leeds)	6	10	7	4
Darlington					3	2
Doncaster	3	13	11	9
Gateshead	14	14			8
Grantham	3
Haymarket (Edinburgh)	5	5	5
Heaton (Newcastle)	3	3
Kings Cross	13
Leeds Neville Hill				4	4
St Margarets (Edinburgh)				1
Tweedmouth			8	6
York	3	5	9	13	9
	50	50	43	37	26	2

Accidents and Incidents

• On 5^th June 1950 60153 Flamboyant was hauling an express passenger train which was derailed at Tollerton, Nottinghamshire due to heat buckled track.
• On 7^th September 1962 60123 H.A.Ivatt suffered severe damage when it was involved in a collision at Offord when pulling the 8.20 p.m. Kings Cross Goods – Leeds when it ran into the rear of another train. It was withdrawn at Doncaster works the following month. Four people were injured in the incident.

60129 Guy Mannering at Heaton-November 1965. It was allocated to York at the time where it is seen in the photograph below.       60145 Saint Mungo in front of 60129 Guy Mannering at York on what now part of the National railway Museum-July 1966.Both of these locomotives were withdrawn from service at York- 60129 in October 1965 & 60145 in June 1966.

New Build

• 60163 Tornado

Back to LNER

Back to Locomotives