After a major overhaul lasting seven years, LNER A4 Class Pacific No. 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley is now back in running order.
To celebrate 4498's return to action, it will be hauling a series of special trains on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, with passengers travelling in authentic teak carriages that have been restored by the LNER Coach Association.
The special trains will run from Grosmont to Pickering and return on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 3rd, 4th, and 5th, and 10th, 11th and 12th October. They will depart from Grosmont at 9.30 am, 12.30 pm, and 3.30 pm. Tickets cost £51 return for adults, with children travelling free of charge. A more-exclusive experience can be enjoyed by travelling in a reserved compartment, when up to six people can travel together for an overall cost of £204.
For more information about the journey and to purchase tickets, visit nymr.co.uk/sir-nigel-gresley
Included in the cost of the ticket for each fare-paying passenger is a limited-edition gift bag worth £24 containing an enamel badge of Sir Nigel Gresley, a guidebook to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. a pen, and some locally made Lottie Shaw biscuits.
At Pickering, there will be a 15-minute stop when passengers will be free to take souvenir photographs of the day. A limited number of passengers can also experience a trip onto the footplate via the locomotive's unique corridor tender, which allowed the engine to change crews whilst running non-stop between London and Edinburgh. Only a limited number of tickets will be available for this experience.
Sir Nigel Gresley was built at Doncaster works and was the 100th Gresley Pacific built by the London and North Eastern Railway. It entered service in 1937 and received its name in a ceremony at Marylebone station in London on 26th November that year.
On 3rd June 1956, Sir Nigel Gresley hauled the Royal Train from Kings Cross to York with HM the Queen on board, and on 23rd May 1959, it was at the head of the “Stephenson Locomotive Society Special”, which was the UK's first train in the UK that had a booked or advertised schedule of over 100 mph. During that trip, Sir Nigel Gresley set the official post-war speed record for steam traction of 112 mph.
Nigel Wilson, Chairman of the Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust which owns No. 4498 said: “We are delighted to be visiting the NYMR this autumn and hope passengers will enjoy the exclusive experience of travelling behind the only operational class A4 pacific.“
Chris Price, CEO of the NYMR said: “We've been so excited to announce this not-to-be-missed experience to witness and enjoy such an iconic piece of railway history. The whole NYMR team is incredibly proud to be able to facilitate this journey and can't wait to welcome passengers along to the event marking 85 years since the locomotive originally entered service in November 1937.”
