LNER Peppercorn Class A1

See also: LNER Class A1/A3 and LNER Thompson Class A1/1

LNER Peppercorn Class A1
60133 Pommern passing Leeds-Holbeck High Level Station hauling Leeds Central to Kings Cross Yorkshire Pullman in 1951
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Arthur Peppercorn Builder Doncaster Works Darlington Works Build date 1948 - 1949, 2008
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-2 Length 72 ft 11.75 in (22.24 m) Width 9 ft 2.875 in (2.82 m) Height 13 ft 1 in (3.99 m) 60163 Tornado - 13 ft (3.96 m) Axle load 22.1 long tons (22.5 t) Adhesive weight 66.55 long tons (67.62 t) Tender weight 60.9 long tons (61.9 t) Total weight 166.1 long tons (168.8 t) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 9.0 long tons (9.1 t) 60163 Tornado - 7.5 long tons (7.6 t) Water cap. 5,000 imp gal (23,000 L) 60163 Tornado - 6,000 imp gal (27,000 L) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 50.0 square feet (4.65 m2) Boiler Diagram 118 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) diameter 29 ft 2 in (8.89 m) length Boiler pressure 250 psi (1,700 kPa) Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 245.3 square feet (22.79 m2)  • Tubes 1,211.6 square feet (112.56 m2)  • Flues 1,004.5 square feet (93.32 m2) Superheater: ​  • Heating area 697.7 square feet (64.82 m2) Cylinder size 19 in × 26 in (480 mm × 660 mm) Valve gear Walschaerts
Performance figures Tractive effort 37,397lbf 2,700 metric horsepower (2,000 kW)
Career Number in class 49 original, 1 new build 60163 Tornado Locale North Eastern Region of British Railways First run August 1948 Last run June 1966 Retired October 1962 - June 1966 Scrapped 1962 - 1966 Disposition 49 withdrawn and scrapped, a 50th completed in 2008

60155 Borderer primed and ready for duty, by the coaling stage at Gateshead depot.

The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) Peppercorn Class A1 is a type of express passenger steam locomotive. 49 original Peppercorn Class A1s were built to the design of Arthur Peppercorn (who was the last Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London and North Eastern Railway) during the early British Railways era, but all were scrapped with the discontinuation of steam, with none of the original production run surviving into preservation. In 2008 a brand new Peppercorn A1 locomotive, 60163 Tornado, was completed, as the 50th member of the class.

Background

Most of the former LNER Class A1 locomotives designed by Sir Nigel Gresley had been rebuilt as LNER Class A3 locomotives prior to this class being conceived. The few straggling LNER Class A1 locomotives that remained unrebuilt during the tenure of Peppercorn's predecessor, Edward Thompson, were redesignated by him as Class A10s in preparation for the construction of his new Class A1 locomotives. The Thompson A1s were not, however, constructed, these locomotives being built in their place after his retirement.

The locomotives were designed to cope with the heaviest passenger trains in the after-war period at the East Coast Mainline (London – York – Newcastle – Edinburgh – Aberdeen) which consisted normally of trains with up to 15 coaches and up to 550 tons. The ‘’’Peppercorn’’’ A1’s were able to pull such a train on the flat at a speed of 60-70 mph (95-110 km/h. Like previous LNER pacifics, the class had a 3-cylinder arrangement. The chimney system was of the type Double-Kylchap.

Construction

The new A1s were ordered by the LNER but delivered after that company had been nationalised to form part of British Railways at the start of 1948. The 49 engines were built at the Eastern Region's Doncaster and Darlington works between 1948 and 1949.

Construction details

Nos	Date built	Works	Notes
60114-22	1948	Doncaster
60123-9	1949	Doncaster
60130-43	1948	Darlington
60144-51	1949	Darlington
60153-7	1949	Doncaster	Built with Timken roller bearings on all axles
60158-62	1949	Doncaster

Names of Peppercorn A1 locomotives

British Railways stock list

No.	Name	Built	Works	Withdrawn	Notes
60114	AllenW.P. Allen	August 1948	Doncaster	December 1964
60115	Meg Merrilies	September 1948	Doncaster	November 1962
60116	Hal o' the Wynd	October 1948	Doncaster	June 1965
60117	Bois Roussel	October 1948	Doncaster	June 1965
60118	SturrockArchibald Sturrock	November 1948	Doncaster	October 1965
60119	StirlingPatrick Stirling	November 1948	Doncaster	May 1964
60120	Kittiwake	December 1948	Doncaster	January 1964
60121	Silurian	December 1948	Doncaster	October 1965
60122	Curlew	December 1948	Doncaster	December 1962
60123	IvattH.A. Ivatt	February 1949	Doncaster	October 1962
60124	Kenilworth	March 1949	Doncaster	March 1966
60125	Scottish Union	April 1949	Doncaster	July 1964
60126	RavenSir Vincent Raven	April 1949	Doncaster	January 1965
60127	WorsdellWilson Worsdell	May 1949	Doncaster	June 1965
60128	Bongrace	May 1949	Doncaster	January 1965
60129	ManneringGuy Mannering	June 1949	Doncaster	October 1965
60130	Kestrel	September 1948	Darlington	October 1965
60131	Osprey	October 1948	Darlington	October 1965
60132	Marmion	October 1948	Darlington	June 1965
60133	Pommern	October 1948	Darlington	June 1965
60134	Foxhunter	November 1948	Darlington	October 1965
60135	Madge Wildfire	November 1948	Darlington	November 1962
60136	Alcazar	November 1948	Darlington	May 1963
60137	Redgauntlet	December 1948	Darlington	October 1962
60138	Boswell	December 1948	Darlington	October 1965
60139	Sea Eagle	December 1948	Darlington	June 1964
60140	Balmoral	December 1948	Darlington	January 1965
60141	Abbotsford	December 1948	Darlington	October 1964
60142	FletcherEdward Fletcher	February 1949	Darlington	June 1965
60143	ScottSir Walter Scott	February 1949	Darlington	May 1964
60144	King's Courier	March 1949	Darlington	April 1963
60145	Saint Mungo	March 1949	Darlington	June 1966
60146	Peregrine	April 1949	Darlington	October 1965
60147	North Eastern	April 1949	Darlington	August 1964
60148	Aboyeur	May 1949	Darlington	June 1965
60149	Amadis	May 1949	Darlington	June 1964
60150	Willbrook	June 1949	Darlington	October 1964
60151	Midlothian	June 1949	Darlington	November 1965
60152	Holyrood	July 1949	Darlington	June 1965
60153	Flamboyant	August 1949	Doncaster	November 1962
60154	Bon Accord	September 1949	Doncaster	October 1965
60155	Borderer	September 1949	Doncaster	October 1965
60156	Great Central	October 1949	Doncaster	May 1965
60157	Great Eastern	November 1949	Doncaster	January 1965
60158	Aberdonian	November 1949	Doncaster	December 1964
60159	Bonnie Dundee	November 1949	Doncaster	October 1963
60160	Auld Reekie	December 1949	Doncaster	December 1963
60161	North British	December 1949	Doncaster	October 1963
60162	Saint Johnstoun	December 1949	Doncaster	October 1963
60163	Tornado	1994 - 2008	A1 Trust Darlington Locomotive Works	operational

Service

Above all though the A1s were renowned for their reliability. By 1961 the class had accumulated 48 million miles, equivalent to 202 miles each calendar day. These were unmatched by any other steam locomotive on British Railways. Some of the best performances were put in by Nos 60153-57, which in a move to increase mileage between general repairs were fitted with roller-bearing axleboxes. Between 1949 and 1961 this quintet totalled 4.8 million miles with an average mileage between works overhauls of 120,000. In a single year No 60156 Great Central of Kings Cross ran 96,000 miles.

If there was one drawback to the Peppercorn A1 it was its riding. There were wide variations between individual class members with some very rough indeed. The cause apart from the inevitable axlebox wear lay in the leading bogie. This was the same as that fitted to the LNER Thompson Class B1 but no adjustments were made at the design stage to tailor it for the heavier A1. Changes to the loading of the bogie side control springs usually brought the riding up to a level comparable with other express types.

Withdrawal

By summer of 1966 all 49 class members had gone for scrap. The last to be withdrawn was no 60145 Saint Mungo after a working life of just 17 years.

Withdrawal dates

Year	No. withdrawn	Nos
1962	6	60115/22/23/35/37/53
1963	6	60136/44/59-62
1964	11	60114/9/20/5/39/41/3/7/9/50/8
1965	24	60116-8/21/26-34/38/40/2/6/8/51/2/4-7
1966	2	60124/45

Tornado - 50th member of the class

60163 Tornado, August 2008, Darlington

None of the original production run of 49 Peppercorn A1s survived the scrapyard to be preserved, however in 2008 a brand new Peppercorn A1, 60163 Tornado, was completed.

In 1991, a project was started by the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust to build a new steam locomotive for the British main line. Due to the lack of preserved examples, the Peppercorn A1 class was chosen as the locomotive to build, which was assembled in the Trust's own Darlington Locomotive Works, a stone's throw from the original Peppercorn A1 Darlington works.

The locomotive is not a replica, but is considered (and is thus numbered as) the 50th member of the class. It was built from brand new components to the original designs of the Peppercorn A1 retrieved from the National Railway Museum.

From early on in the project, the Trust conceived Tornado not as a true replica, or as a restoration project, but as new locomotive representing an evolution of the Peppercorn A1 design, incorporating improvements that would have been made to the class had steam continued, such as correction of the rough riding faults.

The subsequent changes from the original design were also made by the Trust to allow Tornado to be capable of operation on the 21st century main line, to meet modern safety regulations, to reflect advances in manufacturing techniques and materials, and to reduce costs.

Most notably, the boiler is all welded not rivetted, the firebox is steel not copper, the main braking system is air powered and the tender holds more water (at the exense of coal capacity). The locomotive is 1 inch shorter to satsify overhead line equipment regulations. The locomotive is also fitted with roller bearings as were latterly used on some of the original 49 class members.

Models

Bachmann Branchline produce a model in OO gauge.

Further reading

• Willie Yeadon, (1991) Yeadon's Register of LNER Locomotives Vol. 3 Raven, Thompson and Peppercorn Pacifics

External links

• LNER encyclopedia
• A1 Steam Locomotive Trust
• Historic A1s 1940s - 1960s