Press Office

Dynamic birthday celebration in run up to Gresley gala

This week the National Railway Museum (NRM) is set to celebrate the birthday of one of the most gifted engineers Britain has ever produced.

Sir Nigel Gresley, who designed the National Collection’s best known locomotives Flying Scotsman and Mallard for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), was born on 19th June, 1876. To mark the occasion, the NRM will be bringing the LNER Chief Engineer’s original technical drawings out of Search Engine, its vast archive of railway history.

The detailed ink on linen drawing of Gresley’s groundbreaking A4 design have only recently been returned to the museum’s £multimillion research and archive centre just in time for the birthday celebrations. They will be ready to be accessed by the public in July, the anniversary month of Mallard’s 1938 world speed record for steam traction.

A fortnight before it stages its ‘Great Reunion’ event to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the streamlined locomotive’s record breaking run, the NRM will also be giving thought to the crew that experienced Mallard’s superior speed first hand.

Former Chief Mechanical Engineer at the NRM and Scrapheap Challenge star Richard Gibbon and former fireman on Mallard Ken Willets will be discussing what it would have been like for the crew in the dynamometer car - the mobile laboratory that recorded the mighty machine’s 126mph velocity during the world record attempt - in the specially designed carriage on display in the museum’s Great Hall.

On 5th and 6th July, the NRM will be reuniting Mallard with three more of its streamlined fellows – a sight unheard of in modern times. The world record holder will take pride of place in a line-up of all four of the A4s remaining in the UK. This ‘Great Reunion’, will see Mallard, Bittern, Sir Nigel Gresley and Union of South Africa brought back together for the first time since their heyday, and will demonstrate Gresley’s legacy to world history.

Chris Nettleton, Secretary of the Gresley Society said: “It is testament to Sir Herbert Nigel Gresley’s brilliance that 70 years on Mallard’s record is still unbroken.

“Gresley is one of the greatest engineers the world has ever known and it is only fitting that the NRM are taking this opportunity to demonstrate the sheer genius of his work with this birthday celebration and the upcoming Great Reunion.”

Andrew Scott, Director of the National Railway Museum added:

“Aside from Gresley’s pioneering designs, it was the crews on board Mallard and the dynamometer car 70 years ago that made the breaking of the record possible.
We’re glad Richard could join us to mark the magnitude of British achievement 70 years ago as we look forward to our historic Great Reunion event.”

Notes to Editors

  • Gresley’s original drawing will be available for photography in the Edmondson Room of Search Engine on request
  • On the third of July 1938, the mighty blue Mallard was recorded as reaching the awe-inspiring speed of 126mph on the East Coast Main Line, breaking the existing German record of 124 mph set in 1936.
  • Sir Herbert Nigel Gresley (19 June 1876 – 5 April 1941)[1] was one of Britain's most famous steam locomotive engineers, who rose to become Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). He was the designer of some of the most famous steam locomotives in Britain, including the LNER Class A1 and LNER Class A4 4-6-2 Pacific engines. An A1, Flying Scotsman, was the first steam locomotive officially recorded at over 100mph, and an A4, number 4468 Mallard, still holds the world speed record for steam traction on rail. The record was set on the 3rd July 1938 when the locomotive was recorded travelling at 126 mph.
  • Sir Nigel Gresley, designed the A4 class of streamlined locomotives for running at sustained speeds of more than 100 mph.
  • ‘The Great Reunion’ at the NRM - Ticket holders will receive a once in a lifetime chance to see and take unique photographs of the four A4s, Mallard, Sir Nigel Gresley, Union of South Africa and Bittern, which are coming together to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Mallard’s world steam record on 3 July 1938 – possibly for the very first time. There will be raised platforms for a choice of angles and clear views and also a commemorative souvenir brochure of the four locomotives.
  • There will also be a one-off chance to dine with the locomotives on the evening of Saturday 5 July, including unique cab access and additional photographic opportunities.

June 2008