A LITTLE over 80 years ago in the April 1941 Railway Observer, the editorial included the following paragraph: “It is with deep regret that we record the death of Sir Nigel Gresley on 5th April at Warton House, Hertford. Sir Nigel was 64, and had led a most distinguished career as Chief Mechanical Engineer of the LNER”. Three months later in the July issue, the editor noted that “Mr Edward Thompson, Mechanical Engineer, Southern Area (Western Section) LNER has been appointed Chief Mechanical Engineer, in succession to the Late Sir Nigel Gresley, with headquarters at Doncaster.”
Thompson and his team designed the mixed traffic ‘B1’ 4-6-0 that at long last gave the LNER a locomotive as useful as the Stanier ‘Black Fives’, something Gresley never achieved. 410 ‘B1s’ were put into traffic between December 1942 and April 1952 with two, Nos. 61264 and 61306, still appearing in the pages of the RO.
Both preserved ‘B1s’ were built by the North British Locomotive Company: No. 61264 (LNER No. 1264) as NBL No. 26165 in December 1947 and so carried LNER livery; and No. 61306 (NBL No. 26207) in April 1948. The RCTS stock lists and allocations show that No. 61264 was a Great Eastern Division locomotive until moved to Colwick at the end of November 1960, while No. 61306 was based in Hull, spending time at both Botanic Gardens and Dairycoates before moving to Low Moor, Bradford in June 1967. Upon withdrawal during the third week of November 1965, No. 61264 was transferred to Departmental Stock to supply steam for pre heating carriages until March 1968, when it was sold to Woodham Brothers scrapyard at Barry, South Wales. No. 61306, however, remained active until being condemned on September 30, 1967. Ten days before withdrawal, as noted in the RO, No. 61306 was cleaned to perfection to work the last steam-hauled 09.55 Bradford Exchange to Leeds leg of the ‘Yorkshire Pullman’.