LNER Peppercorn Class A1

The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) Peppercorn Class A1 is a type of express passenger steam locomotive. Forty-nine Peppercorn Class A1s were built to the design of Arthur Peppercorn (who was the last Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the LNER) during the early British Railways era. They were the most reliable engines on the North Eastern Region, but all were withdrawn and scrapped with the discontinuation of steam, with none of the original locomotives surviving into preservation. In 2008, a brand new 50th Peppercorn A1 locomotive, 60163 Tornado, was completed.
== Background ==
Most of the former LNER Class A1 locomotives designed by Sir Nigel Gresley had been rebuilt as LNER Class A3 locomotives prior to this class being conceived. The few straggling LNER Class A1 locomotives that remained unrebuilt during the tenure of Peppercorn's predecessor, Edward Thompson, were redesignated by him as Class A10s in preparation for the construction of his new Class A1 locomotives. Thompson rebuilt the pioneer LNER pacific Great Northern in 1945; originally this was the new Class A1, but the rebuild was not repeated. Instead, initiated by Thompson but largely taken forward by his successor Arthur Peppercorn, Great Northern was designated Class A1/1, and a new class of Peppercorn A1s ordered.
The locomotives were designed to cope with the heaviest passenger trains in the post-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 (95–110 km/h). Like previous LNER pacifics, the class had a 3-cylinder arrangement. The chimney system was of the type Double-Kylchap.
== Original locomotives ==
=== Construction ===
The new A1s were ordered by the LNER but delivered after that company had been nationalised to form part of British Railways at the start of 1948. The 49 engines were built at the Eastern Region's Doncaster and Darlington works between 1948 and 1949.
Construction details
Nos 	Date built	Works 	Order no.[1]	Notes
60114-22	1948 	Doncaster 	382 	
60123 	1949 	Doncaster 	382 	
60124-9 	1949 	Doncaster 	383 	
60130-43	1948 	Darlington	— 	
60144-52	1949 	Darlington	— 	
60153-7 	1949 	Doncaster 	388 	Built with Timkenroller bearings on all axles
60158-62	1949 	Doncaster 	388 	
=== Withdrawal and preservation ===
By summer of 1966 all 49 class members had gone for scrap. The last to be withdrawn from stock was No. 60145 Saint Mungo after a working life of just 17 years. 60145 Saint Mungo was planned to be preserved by Geoff Drury, however, it ultimately was unsuccessful and none of the original locomotives were preserved.
Withdrawal dates
Year	No. withdrawn	Nos
1962	6 	60115/22/23/35/37/53
1963	6 	60136/44/59-62
1964	11 	60114/9/20/5/39/41/3/7/9/50/8
1965	24 	60116-8/21/26-34/38/40/2/6/8/51/2/4-7
1966	2 	60124/45
=== List of original locomotives ===
Below is a list of original Peppercorn A1 Locomotives
No. 	Name 	Built 	Works 	Withdrawn 	Notes
60114	W. P. Allen 	August 1948 	Doncaster 	December 1964	
60115	Meg Merrilies 	September 1948	Doncaster 	November 1962	
60116	Hal o' the Wynd 	October 1948 	Doncaster 	June 1965 	
60117	Bois Roussel 	October 1948 	Doncaster 	June 1965 	
60118	Archibald Sturrock	November 1948 	Doncaster 	October 1965 	
60119	Patrick Stirling 	November 1948 	Doncaster 	May 1964 	
60120	Kittiwake 	December 1948 	Doncaster 	January 1964 	
60121	Silurian 	December 1948 	Doncaster 	October 1965 	
60122	Curlew 	December 1948 	Doncaster 	December 1962	
60123	H.A. Ivatt 	February 1949 	Doncaster 	October 1962 	
60124	Kenilworth 	March 1949 	Doncaster 	March 1966 	
60125	Scottish Union 	April 1949 	Doncaster 	July 1964 	
60126	Sir Vincent Raven 	April 1949 	Doncaster 	January 1965 	
60127	Wilson Worsdell 	May 1949 	Doncaster 	June 1965 	
60128	Bongrace 	May 1949 	Doncaster 	January 1965 	
60129	Guy Mannering 	June 1949 	Doncaster 	October 1965 	
60130	Kestrel 	September 1948	Darlington	October 1965 	
60131	Osprey 	October 1948 	Darlington	October 1965 	
60132	Marmion 	October 1948 	Darlington	June 1965 	
60133	Pommern 	October 1948 	Darlington	June 1965 	
60134	Foxhunter 	November 1948 	Darlington	October 1965 	
60135	Madge Wildfire 	November 1948 	Darlington	November 1962	
60136	Alcazar 	November 1948 	Darlington	May 1963 	
60137	Redgauntlet 	December 1948 	Darlington	October 1962 	
60138	Boswell 	December 1948 	Darlington	October 1965 	
60139	Sea Eagle 	December 1948 	Darlington	June 1964 	
60140	Balmoral 	December 1948 	Darlington	January 1965 	
60141	Abbotsford 	December 1948 	Darlington	October 1964 	
60142	Edward Fletcher 	February 1949 	Darlington	June 1965 	
60143	Sir Walter Scott 	February 1949 	Darlington	May 1964 	
60144	King's Courier 	March 1949 	Darlington	April 1963 	
60145	Saint Mungo 	March 1949 	Darlington	June 1966 	Candidate for preservation
60146	Peregrine 	April 1949 	Darlington	October 1965 	
60147	North Eastern 	April 1949 	Darlington	August 1964 	
60148	Aboyeur 	May 1949 	Darlington	June 1965 	
60149	Amadis 	May 1949 	Darlington	June 1964 	
60150	Willbrook 	June 1949 	Darlington	October 1964 	
60151	Midlothian 	June 1949 	Darlington	November 1965	
60152	Holyrood 	July 1949 	Darlington	June 1965 	
60153	Flamboyant 	August 1949 	Doncaster 	November 1962	
60154	Bon Accord 	September 1949	Doncaster 	October 1965 	
60155	Borderer 	September 1949	Doncaster 	October 1965 	
60156	Great Central 	October 1949 	Doncaster 	May 1965 	
60157	Great Eastern 	November 1949 	Doncaster 	January 1965 	
60158	Aberdonian 	November 1949 	Doncaster 	December 1964	
60159	Bonnie Dundee 	November 1949 	Doncaster 	October 1963 	
60160	Auld Reekie 	December 1949 	Doncaster 	December 1963	
60161	North British 	December 1949 	Doncaster 	October 1963 	
60162	Saint Johnstoun 	December 1949 	Doncaster 	October 1963 	
=== Notes on names ===
The names of the A1s were an eclectic mix including:
* Racehorses: Bois Roussel, Silurian, Scottish Union, Bongrace, Pommern, Foxhunter, Alcazar, Boswell, King's Courier, Aboyeur, Amadis, Willbrook, Flamboyant
* Names of people: W. P. Allen (an LNER locomotive driver who became a member of the Railway Executive in 1948), Archibald Sturrock, Patrick Stirling, H. A. Ivatt, Sir Vincent Raven, Wilson Worsdell, Edward Fletcher (Locomotive Superintendents of pre-grouping railways), Sir Walter Scott, Saint Mungo
* Names related to the works of Sir Walter Scott: Meg Merrilies, Hal o' the Wynd, Kenilworth, Guy Mannering, Marmion, Borderer, Madge Wildfire, Redgauntlet, Bonnie Dundee. Some of these names had previously been used on NBR J class locomotives
* Pre-grouping railway companies: North Eastern, Great Central, Great Eastern, North British
* Birds: Kittiwake, Curlew, Kestrel, Osprey, Sea Eagle, Peregrine
* Place-related names: Balmoral, Abbotsford (Sir Walter Scott's house), Midlothian, Holyrood, Bon Accord (motto of Aberdeen), Auld Reekie (a soubriquet for Edinburgh), Saint Johnstoun (an old name for Perth), Aberdonian
== No. 60163 Tornado ==
None of the original 49 Peppercorn A1s survived into preservation, however in 2008 a brand new 50th A1 based on the Peppercorn blueprints, 60163 Tornado, was completed as the evolved member of the class.
== Accidents and incidents ==
* On 5 June 1950, locomotive No. 60153 Flamboyant was hauling an express passenger train which was derailed at Tollerton, North Yorkshire due to heat buckled track.
* On 14 April 2018, locomotive No. 60163 Tornado was hauling an excursion train named "The Ebor Flyer" from London King's Cross to York. While traveling at 90 mph around Sandy, south of Peterborough, the locomotive's inside motion failed.
== Models ==
Bachmann Branchline and Hornby make models in OO gauge, Graham Farish produce a model in N gauge and Accucraft (UK) make a live steam model in gauge 1.
Category:LNER locomotives
Category:United Kingdom
Category:4-6-2 locomotives
Category:4-6-2 steam locomotives
Category:Tender locomotives
Category:Six-coupled locomotives
Category:Three-cylindered locomotives
Category:Steam locomotives
Category:Built in 1948
Category:LNER Peppercorn Class A1
Category:British Rail locomotives
Category:Scrapped locomotives
Category:Locomotives
Category:Scrapped steam locomotives