Sir Nigel Gresley emerges from York workshop in LNER wartime black
A4 PACIFIC Sir Nigel Gresley has appeared in LNER wartime black livery – although it will not run in this guise.
Having been under overhaul in the National Railway Museum's workshop at York since 2015, No. 60007 was rolled out in late August with a coat of semi-gloss black paint, LNER transfers and the number 4498 – resembling the economy livery applied to the Gresley streamliners during the Second World War.
However, the new look was merely to protect the locomotive from the elements during its move to Locomotive Services Ltd in Crewe for the overhaul to be completed. The engine was moved from the NRM to Holgate on September 21 to be split from its tender for the road move.
Prior to this, the A4 was involved in a minor shunting collision with Merchant Navy No. 35018 British India Line in the NRM's yard on September 2. There were no injuries and the damage to the A4's tender was repaired by September 13.
Logical choice
The NRM had requested that the engine be moved to clear the workshop for the planned redevelopment of the museum, but delays caused by Covid meant that the overhaul could not be completed in time. With the Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust having already entered into a 10-year agreement with the Royal Scot Locomotive & General Trust for the operation of the A4 on the main line, Crewe was considered the best place to finish the work.
The trust stated: “Another significant factor that has arisen in our plans is the financial difficulties of the Llangollen Railway, which carried out our boiler overhaul. While we have no concerns about the quality of the work done on No. 60007's boiler, support for final boiler testing and commissioning is no longer available from Llangollen.
“Once the locomotive is in service, the agreement we have with LSL means they will take on day-to-day maintenance of the boiler, so asking them to support initial testing is logical.”
Some sections and entire sheets of the streamlined casing had been renewed, but there was insufficient time before the move to properly prepare all of the bare steel for primer and undercoat, hence the need for the protective paint.
Trust photographer Trevor Camp said: “This is only temporary and ‘SNG' will be repainted into BR Express Blue, as voted for by the trust members, before the planned return to traffic in the first quarter of 2022.”
Other black Pacifics
Record-breaking A4 No. 4468 Mallard was similarly painted black in 2012, when undercoat was applied in preparation for a new coat of LNER Garter blue prior to its display with the other five preserved A4s at the ‘Great Gathering' of 2013. However, no LNER transfers were applied on that occasion.
A3 Flying Scotsman was displayed in wartime black as No. 502/103 in 2011, and initially ran in this guise in late 2015.