What was the operator of LNER Class A4 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley from 1948 to 1966?
LNER Class A4 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley London and North Eastern Railway ( LNER ) A4 Class number 4498 ( original ) , 7 ( LNER 1946 ) and 60007 ( BR ) , named Sir Nigel Gresley is a preserved British steam locomotive . Liveries . As with the other members of the 35-strong class , Sir Nigel Gresley wore many liveries throughout its career . It was released to traffic on 30 October 1937 in the standard LNER garter blue of the A4 Pacifics . New numbers and letters for the tender in stainless steel were added in a general overhaul 16 January 1939 . Sir Nigel Gresley was repainted into wartime black with LNER markings on 21 February 1942 . The next repaint was into black with NE markings on 20 October 1943 , as a cutback . After the war , Sir Nigel Gresley regained LNER garter blue livery with red/white lining on 6 March 1947 . With the formation of British Railways came new liveries and Sir Nigel Gresley was painted into British Railways dark blue with black and white lining on 27 September 1950 . The final livery change was into British Railways brunswick green livery on 17 April 1952 . In preservation , Sir Nigel Gresley wore garter blue ( with stainless steel letters and numbers as 4498 added later ) from 1966 until its overhaul in the late 1990s , when it gained its current British Railways blue livery as 60007 . This livery was retained again after the 2006 overhaul . Technical Details . As with the earlier LNER A4 Pacifics , Sir Nigel Gresley was built with single chimney and side valances covering the wheels . The valances were removed to aid in maintenance on 21 February 1942 . Sir Nigel Gresley gained its double chimney and Kylchap double blastpipe on 13 December 1957 . 60007 also gained AWS equipment on 27 September 1950 . A Smith-Stone type speed recorder was fitted on 30 June 1960 . Sir Nigel Gresley has had twelve boilers in its career : 8961 ( from new ) ; 8946 ( from 4483 Kingfisher ) , 21 February 1942 ; 9489 ( new boiler ) , 6 March 1947 ; 29271 ( from 60024 Kingfisher ) , 27 September 1950 ; 29319 ( new build ) , 17 April 1952 ; 29306 ( spare ) , 19 October 1953 ; 29321 ( from 60010 Dominion of Canada ) , 12 March 1955 ; 29314 ( from 60026 Miles Beevor ) , 13 April 1957 ; 29324 ( from 60015 Quicksilver ) , 13 December 1957 ; 29331 ( new build ) , 16 April 1959 ; 27970 ( new build ) , 7 October 1960 and finally 27966 ( from 60016 Silver King ) , 25 October 1962 . Sir Nigel Gresley had two tenders in its career : 5329 from new build to 8 August 1943 and then 5324 from that time . Career . Built for the LNER in 1937 , and the 100th Gresley Pacific built . Its Doncaster Works number was 1863 . It was originally numbered 4498 . It is a 4-6-2 locomotive to the same design by Sir Nigel Gresley as the more famous Mallard . Locomotive 4498 was actually due to receive the name Bittern , originally suggested for 4492 ( later Dominion of New Zealand ) . So the story goes , an LNER enthusiast who worked in the Railway Correspondence and Travel Society , realised in time that 4498 was the 100th Gresley Pacific locomotive and the suggestion was made that the locomotive be named after its designer . The name Bittern was later carried on 4464 . Sir Nigel Gresley was allocated to Kings Cross Top Shed from new . As LNER locomotive 7 , it was reallocated to Grantham on 23 April 1944 , but sent back to Top Shed on 4 June 1950 . Top Shed kept 60007 until the depot was closed , then Sir Nigel Gresley was reallocated to New England shed on 16 June 1963 . Sir Nigel Gresley was then allocated to St Margarets shed , to work the Edinburgh - Aberdeen trains , until final shed allocation was to Aberdeen on 20 July 1964 . Sir Nigel Gresley received a repaint at Doncaster Works 25 February 1938 , and larger coal space was also provided as the locomotive was displayed at an exhibition in Manchester . Sir Nigel Gresley was also used for the opening of the Rugby testing station from 23 August - 8 October 1948 . 60007 was placed onto the rollers without her tender and run up to high speeds to monitor the coal and water usage of the locomotive . Sir Nigel Gresley is the holder of the postwar steam record speed of gained on 23 May 1959 and carries a plaque to that effect . As with Mallards record , this was descending southward from Stoke Summit , but unlike Mallards run which was a special attempt , this was with a full train of passengers returning from an excursion to Doncaster works . The excursion exceeded on two other occasions on the same day . As the nominated member of the British Transport Commissions Eastern area board , Alan Pegler was on the locomotives footplate that day . Preservation . Withdrawn from service by British Railways on 1 February 1966 , it was targeted by the A4 Preservation Society , which was soon renamed the A4 Locomotive Society , to rescue the locomotive from the cutters torch . This was achieved , and the Streak was moved to Crewe for refurbishment . Fellow A4 No 60026 Miles Beevor also subsequently visited the former LMS works after its own withdrawal , and its three pairs of 6 ft 8 in driving wheels were transferred to No . 60007 because they were in a far better condition than those on the newly saved engine . For a long period of its preservation , Sir Nigel Gresley was kept at Steamtown Carnforth , at the old locomotive depot . This was a prime location for her mainline operations , being the only mainline A4 after 1973 other than Union of South Africa . On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Mallards record run on 3 July 1988 , the National Railway Museum assembled three of the four UK-based A4 Pacific locomotives at the museum , the first time this had ever been done in preservation . Early in July 2008 , SNG joined its three sibling-locomotives in the UK for a display at the National Railway Museum in York . During 1994 , Sir Nigel Gresley spent some time at the Great Central Railway then at the East Lancashire Railway . The locomotive then moved to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway in 1996 , and is now based there . It is owned by Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Preservation Trust Ltd . and operated by the A4 Locomotive Society Ltd . on behalf of the Trust . In 2010 , Sir Nigel Gresley underwent repair at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway after its winter overhaul in 2009/10 revealed that extensive work and repair was needed on the tubing , and since then the locomotive has had two other significant mechanical failures , though these were also resolved . 60007s most recent boiler ticket expired in September 2015 , and the locomotive was therefore withdrawn from service for another overhaul which is being carried out in public view at the National Railway Museum in York . The boiler was sent to the Llangollen Railway for overhaul and was reunited with the locomotive frame on 7 November 2019 . Models . Sir Nigel Gresley was the first tender locomotive model released in OO gauge , and produced in both clockwork and 3-rail 12v DC electric forms by Hornby for the launch of their new system in 1938 . It was modelled with a heavy diecast Mazak body and chassis , and finished in contemporary LNER Garter Blue livery with side skirts and tin-plate corridor tender . The casting was modified to remove the sideskirts on commencement of postwar production in 1947 , when realistic Walshacerts valvegear was fitted to reflect the locomotive in early BR ownership . Bachmann released several models of 60007 ; Weathered Single Chimney , Weathered Double Chimney and Pristine double chimney all in BR Express Passenger Blue . Hornby also released three models ; one with a support coach and one without one , all having double chimneys and in BR Express Passenger Blue . Hornby sold their third model in 2013 for the Great Gathering Range along with the other surviving members of the class . Hornby also marketed an N-gauge model of Sir Nigel Gresley ( as catalogue item N214 ) . This N-gauge model was actually manufactured by Minitrix of ( the then ) West Germany in 1983 , as Minitrix article number 51-2946-00 . References . - An overall history of the Gresley A4 class , as well as unparalleled details about the class and individual members . - Histories of the A4 and W1 classes of locomotive with details of repairs and liveries etc . External links . - Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Preservation Trust - Railuk database