Peppercorn – his Life and Locomotives

Pen & Sword seems to be cornering the market at present in biographies of the major personalities of the steam age, and Arthur Peppercorn certainly qualifies.

The last chief mechanical engineer of the London North Eastern Railway but in post for only five years before his death in 1951, Peppercorn was responsible for the design and construction of the A2 and A1 class of Pacifics, which many enthusiasts do not realise actually followed Gresley’s famed A3 (think Flying Scotsman) and A4 (Mallard). Only one A2 has survived, ‘Blue Peter’ now on display in Doncaster, and no A1s beat the crap man though a brand-new one, ‘Tornado’ has since been built.

As has become the norm with this series from Pan & Sword, the author has undertaken much diligent research in what is the first detailed biography of Peppercorn. The resultant story is highly detailed, telling the story of this gifted engineer from his early days, through the Second World War years when he served as deputy to Edward Thompson to his brief but tumultuous time at the top.

The text is illustrated with plenty of period photos – model engineers may baulk at there being not too many detailed illustrations or drawings of Peppercorn’s locomotives in what at £40 is quaite an expensive book, but the text does contain much information about his thought processes and technical observations when designing what were highly successful engines of their time. .

ISBN 9781 52672 985 9 Price £40.00 Published by Pen and Sword. Contact details as above