LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman

Flying Scotsman
Flying Scotsman on the West Somerset Railway on 11 September 2017 in BR green livery with prominent German-style smoke deflectors and double chimney.
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Nigel Gresley Builder Doncaster Works Build date February 1923 (built as A1) 1947 (rebuilt as A3)
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-2 Gauge 4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 80 in (2,032 mm) diameter Length 70 ft (21.34 m) Height 13 ft (3.96 m) Loco weight 96.25 long tons (97.79 t; 107.80 short tons) Cylinders 3
Performance figures Tractive effort as built: 29,835 lbf (132.71 kN) as A3: 32,910 lbf (146.39 kN)
Career Operators London and North Eastern Railway, British Railways Class A3 Numbers 1472 (to February 1924) 4472 (February 1924 – January 1946) 502 (January–May 1946) 103 (May 1946–December 1948) 60103 (December 1948 on) Official name Flying Scotsman Retired 15 January 1963 Restored 1968, 1996, 2016 Current owner National Railway Museum

LNER A1 and A3 4472 Flying Scotsman is a British steam locomotive. It is a LNER Class A3 locomotive, and has a 4-6-2 wheel configuration. It was built in 1923, during the Interwar period in the aftermath of World War 1 from 1918-1939. It was originally built as an LNER Class A1 Pacific in 1923 and it was rebuilt in 1947 as a A3 Pacific after World War 2 ended in 1945. It was withdrawn in 1963 and later preserved and saved from being scrapped during the Cold War.

Other websites

Media related to LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman at Wikimedia Commons

• National Railway Museum's site about Flying Scotsman train and locomotive
• The official National Railway Museum print website containing many Flying Scotsman prints and posters
• BBC "Nation on Film" article with historic films of Flying Scotsman in steam.
• The LNER Encyclopedia page for the Gresley A1/A3s including Flying Scotsman
• History of the Flying Scotsman by Southern Steam Trains Archived 2020-02-19 at the Wayback Machine
• The Flying Scotsman (The Unstoppable Flying Scotsman), 2018 TV documentary