Gresley's A4 Mallard of 1950 '60022'

The "Mallard' illustrated here in the British Railways Dark Blue livery with black and white lining as it would have looked as number '60022' in 1950, with the plaques commemorating the 126mph world speed record for steam traction achieved on the 3rd July 1938.

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’ numbered 4468, the A4’s had several liveries applied over the lifespan of the class. The Mallard was repainted and renumbered in two wartime black liveries, reverting back to LNER ‘Garter Blue’ with red wheels in March 1948. After the British Railways blue (illustrated here) the Mallard was repainted in Brunswick Green in July 1952.

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 and is now preserved as part of the National Collection at the National Railway Museum in York.

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. Unlike most of the A4s, the ‘Mallard’ was built with the double chimney and blastpipe seen on this illustration, whereas most of the A4 were retro-fitted in the 1950’s. The A4 locomotives all had three cylinders, the two outer Walschaerts motions connected by Gresley’s conjugating valve gear to the inside cylinder.

The Mallard is attached to a streamlined, corridor tender, allowing for crew exchanges without stopping the train. Able to carry 5,000 gallons of water and up to 9 tons of coal.

Other illustrations of Sir Nigel Gresley’s A4 are available. Visit the A4 Collection page to view them all.

Posters printed on 200gsm satin stock. Available in 3 sizes.

Every attempt is made to ensure the featured locomotive is accurate given the available references. Colours on the prints may look slightly different to their screen representations.