Gresley A4 'Osprey' 4494

On entering service in August 1937 to October 1938, Osprey carried the LNER Apple Green livery with black and white lining above the footplate and red lining on the frames. Still with the valance in place over the wheels at this point and the long guard irons on the front bogie. Only 9 LNER A4s received the Apple Green colour and of the 9 only 4 had the distinctive parabolic curve painted on the front of the boiler casing. The other 5: Kingfisher, Falcon, Kestrel, Merlin and Sea Eagle had a black front on the boiler casing that extended all the way to the first boiler band behind the chimney. By October 1938, Osprey was back in the shed being repainted in the LNER ‘Garter Blue; livery with red wheels. In 1942 the locomotive was painted wartime black and renamed ‘Andrew K. McCosh’. The valance over the wheels was also removed in 1942 for easier maintenance of the valve gear.

After the war it reverted back to the LNER blue and red colour scheme. After nationalisation in 1948, 4494 was renumbered as British Railways 60003, repainted in April 1950 in the British Railways dark blue with black and white lining. By 1951 the livery had changed again, now in BR Brunswick Green with orange and black lining and this is how the locomotive remained in appearance for the rest of its working life.

The double chimney was fitted in 1957, followed by the AWS in 1959 and one of the last modifications was the fitting of a Smith-Stone speed recorder in 1961. In this illustration ’Osprey’ 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 A4s are available.

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Newcastle to Edinburgh, Scotland, they remained in service on the East Coast Main Line until the early 1960s. 60003 was withdrawn from service in December 1962. Works number: 1859.

This meticulously researched illustration is based on GA drawings from the NRM archive and hundreds of reference images.

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.