LNER Class A4 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley

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**Sir Nigel Gresley**
Power type	Steam
Departing Goathland with a train for Pickering, in 2002
Designer	Sir Nigel Gresley
Build date	1937
Configuration	4-6-2
Gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in)
Top speed	112 mph
Career	London and North Eastern Railway
Class	A4
Number	4498, renum 7 in 1946, renum 60007
Official name	Sir Nigel Gresley
Current owner	Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Preservation Trust Ltd.
Disposition	Restored to operating condition and in operation at North Yorkshire Moors Railway

London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) A4 Class number 4498 (original), 7 (LNER 1946) and 60007 (BR), named Sir Nigel Gresley is a preserved British steam locomotive.

[edit] Overview

Built for the LNER in 1937, and the 100th Gresley pacific built. It was originally numbered 4498. It is a 4-6-2 locomotive to the same design by Sir Nigel Gresley as the more famous Mallard. It is the holder for the post-war steam record speed of 112mph gained on the 23 May 1959 and carries a plaque to that effect

Withdrawn from service by British Railways in 1966, it was targeted by the A4 Preservation Society, which was soon renamed the A4 Locomotive Society, to rescue the locomotive from the cutter’s torch. This was achieved, and the ‘Streak’ was moved to Crewe for refurbishment. Fellow A4 No 60026 Miles Beevor also subsequently visited the former LMS works after its own withdrawal, and its three pairs of 6ft 8in driving wheels were transferred to No 60007 because they were in a far better condition than those on the newly saved engine [1]

The locomotive is now preserved at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, and is in daily operation, following a 10 year overhaul to working order. It is now owned by The Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Preservation Trust Ltd.