Celebrating the A4s

Arguably the most distinctive design of steam locomotive of the 20th century, Sir Nigel Gresley’s A4 class turned heads from their debut in 1935 until the demise of the final examples in 1966. Thirty-one years might seem a relatively short life for such a superbly conceived machine and indeed it was, but steam was then outmoded and yet they continued to work express passenger workings until the very end. In this new book The Transport Treasury are pleased to showcase examples of every member of the class in British Railways days as well as a selection from earlier times. One member of the class also made a lasting impression on the compiler of this work and more than half a century later that story may also be recounted for the first time.