LNER Class V2
Encyclopedia
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
(LNER) Class V2 2-6-2
2-6-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels.Other equivalent classifications are:...
steam locomotives were designed by Sir Nigel Gresley for express mixed traffic work, and built between 1936–1944. The best known is the first of the class, 4771 (later 800 and 60800) Green Arrow
LNER Class V2 4771 Green Arrow
The LNER Class V2 2-6-2 steam locomotive, number 4771 Green Arrow was built in June 1936 for the London and North Eastern Railway at Doncaster Works to a design of Nigel Gresley. The first-built and only surviving member of its class, it was designed for hauling express freight and passenger...
, which is the only preserved example.
Construction
The V2s were the only major class of 2-6-22-6-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels.Other equivalent classifications are:...
tender locomotives used in Britain. Whilst 2-6-2T tank locomotives were common in the UK, the only other 2-6-2 tender locomotives were the unsuccessful experimental Midland Railway Paget locomotive
Midland Railway Paget locomotive
The Midland Railway's Paget locomotive, No. 2299, was an experimental steam locomotive constructed at its Derby Works in 1908 to the design of the General Superintendent Cecil Paget ....
of 1908, and the two examples of Gresley's LNER Class V4
LNER Class V4
The London and North Eastern Railway Class V4 was a class of 2-6-2 steam locomotive designed bySir Nigel Gresley for mixed-traffic use. It was to be Gresley's last design for the LNER as he died in 1941....
of 1941. The wheel arrangement allowed the fitting of a large firebox uninhibited by the rear driving wheel, and the front pony truck improved stability at high speeds.
The V2 was derived from the Class A1/A3
LNER Class A1/A3
The London and North Eastern Railway LNER Gresley Classes A1 and A3 locomotives represented two distinct stages in the history of the British 4-6-2 "Pacific" steam locomotives designed by Nigel Gresley...
pacifics
4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
with smaller driving wheel
Driving wheel
On a steam locomotive, a driving wheel is a powered wheel which is driven by the locomotive's pistons...
s (of 6 in 2 in (1.88 m) compared to 6 in 8 in (2.03 m)) and a shortened boiler. It retained Gresley's favoured 3-cylinder arrangement. Unusually all 3 cylinders were part of a single 'monobloc' casting.
184 locomotives were built in 14 batches between 1936 and 1944 at Doncaster and Darlington Works, construction continuing through the Second World War as they proved their usefulness. A further four locomotives, ordered as V2s, were redesigned by Gresley's successor Edward Thompson and completed as Pacifics (LNER Thompson Class A2/1
LNER Thompson Class A2/1
The London and North Eastern Railway Thompson Class A2/1 was a class of 4-6-2 steam locomotives. They were originally ordered as Class V2 locomotives, as designed by Sir Nigel Gresley, but were revised during construction into a 4-6-2 'Pacific' arrangement under the instruction of Edward Thompson...
).
The V2 was a versatile locomotive, capable of hauling fast fitted freights and express passenger trains. Their relatively heavy 22 ton axle load
Axle load
The axle load of a wheeled vehicle is the total weight felt by the roadway for all wheels connected to a given axle. Viewed another way, it is the fraction of total vehicle weight resting on a given axle...
meant their use was restricted to around 40% of the LNER's route miles. For example, they were barred from all of the former Great Eastern Railway main lines. Gresley recognised that a lighter mixed-traffic locomotive was required, and the V4 class was designed to this end. However, it was to be the versatile LNER Thompson Class B1
LNER Thompson Class B1
The London and North Eastern Railway Thompson Class B1 is a class of steam locomotive designed for medium mixed traffic work. It was designed by Edward Thompson.- Overview :...
4-6-0 which succeeded the V2 as the LNER's standard mixed traffic locomotive, although the B1 never matched the V2's power output.
Working life
First of the initial batch for five Doncaster-built V2s was number 4771, which emerged in June 1936 and was promptly named "Green Arrow", after the express freight service for which the locomotives had been built. Successful trails with this quintet led to both Doncaster and Darlington works producing further batches. The final locomotive, number 3695, was delivered from Darlington in July 1944.The V2 had the free steaming qualities that the LNER's operating department required. Not only were they capable of working vacuum braked freights at up to 60 mph (97 km/h), they could deputise for Pacifics on express passenger schedules. In peak condition a V2 could almost match the Pacifics for sustained high speed running. One locomotive was reliably timed at 93 mph (150 km/h) on the Yorkshire Pullman while another attained 101.5 miles per hour (163 km/h) on a test train.
Whatever the V2s achieved before 1939 and after 1945 will always be eclipsed by their astonishing feats of haulage during World War Two. Trains of over 20 carriages loaded to 700 LT proved within their abilities. On at least one occasion a single V2 hauled 26 coaches from Peterborough to London. Given this capacity for work it was not surprising that construction was allowed to continue through the war years. When construction stopped in 1944 the class numbered 184 engines. They were the last Gresley designed engines to be produced.
The V2s performed equally competently for British Railways leaving their mark on the East Coast Main Line, the Waverley Route between Carlisle and Edinburgh and on the ex-Great Central main line between London Marylebone and Sheffield. Their swansong came on the Edinburgh—Aberdeen run, working alongside the last LNER A2s and A4s. The entire class was withdrawn from service between 1962 and 1966, having been displaced by diesel locomotives.
Names
Only eight V2s were named; seven by the LNER and one by BR. The first of the class was named after the express freight train Green Arrow. Five more were named after Regiments and two after public schoolsPublic School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
. It is probable that more would have been named had the outbreak of war not intervened.
| Original No. | LNER 1946 No. | BR No. | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4771 LNER Class V2 4771 Green Arrow The LNER Class V2 2-6-2 steam locomotive, number 4771 Green Arrow was built in June 1936 for the London and North Eastern Railway at Doncaster Works to a design of Nigel Gresley. The first-built and only surviving member of its class, it was designed for hauling express freight and passenger... |
800 LNER Class V2 4771 Green Arrow The LNER Class V2 2-6-2 steam locomotive, number 4771 Green Arrow was built in June 1936 for the London and North Eastern Railway at Doncaster Works to a design of Nigel Gresley. The first-built and only surviving member of its class, it was designed for hauling express freight and passenger... |
60800 LNER Class V2 4771 Green Arrow The LNER Class V2 2-6-2 steam locomotive, number 4771 Green Arrow was built in June 1936 for the London and North Eastern Railway at Doncaster Works to a design of Nigel Gresley. The first-built and only surviving member of its class, it was designed for hauling express freight and passenger... |
Green Arrow | Preserved |
| 4780 | 809 | 60809 | The Snapper, The East Yorkshire Regiment, The Duke of York's Own | |
| 4806 | 835 | 60835 | The Green Howard, Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment The Green Howards The Green Howards was an infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division... |
|
| 4818 | 847 | 60847 | St Peter's School York AD627 St Peter's School, York St Peter's School is a co-educational independent boarding and day school located in the English City of York, with extensive grounds on the banks of the River Ouse... |
|
| 4831 | 860 | 60860 | Durham School Durham School Durham School, headmaster Martin George , is an independent British day and boarding school for boys and girls in Durham.... |
|
| 4843 | 872 | 60872 | King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry was a regiment of the British Army. It officially existed from 1881 to 1968, but its predecessors go back to 1755. The regiment's traditions and history are now maintained by The Rifles.-The 51st Foot:... |
|
| 4844 | 873 | 60873 | Coldstreamer Coldstream Guards Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division.... |
|
| 3676 | 964 | 60964 | The Durham Light Infantry Durham Light Infantry The Durham Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1968. It was formed by the amalgamation of the 68th Regiment of Foot and the 106th Regiment of Foot along with the militia and rifle volunteers of County Durham... |
Named in April 1958 |
Numbering
When built, the V2s were numbered 3641–3695 and 4771–4899. Under the LNER 1946 renumbering scheme they were renumbered 800–983. After nationalisation in 1948, British Railways added 60000 to their numbers so they became 60800–60983. BR also gave them the power classification 6MT.Withdrawal
All 184 V2s were withdrawn from stock between 1962 and 1966| Year | No. Withdrawn | Nos |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 69 | etc. |
| 1963 | 43 | etc. |
| 1964 | 32 | etc. |
| 1965 | 26 | etc. |
| 1966 | 14 | etc. |
Preservation
North Yorkshire Moors Railway
The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England. First opened in 1836 as the Whitby and Pickering Railway, the railway was planned in 1831 by George Stephenson as a means of opening up trade routes inland from the then important seaport of Whitby. The line...
. Since then the engine has been stored, pending a return to the National Railway Museum. Its boiler repairs have been determined as achievable, however the NRM are not currently willing to meet the cost involved in replacing the 'monobloc' cylinder casting. A crack in this means the casting now needs to be replaced before the locomotive can work again. It is unfortunate that 60800 was not one of the V2 class that were modified to incorporate separate cylinder blocks, when a lot of the class were modified in the 1940s and 1950s.
In fiction
The locomotive Green Arrow was featured in the Railway SeriesThe Railway Series
The Railway Series is a set of story books about a railway system located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first being published in 1945. Twenty-six were written by the Rev. W. Awdry, up to 1972. A further 16 were written by his son, Christopher Awdry; 14...
book Thomas and the Great Railway Show.