Tomorrow, Friday, 19th June, every surviving and new-build locomotive designed by Sir Nigel Gresley will carry a specially commissioned ‘Gresley 150 Anniversary’ headboard to celebrate the 150th anniversary of his birth on 19th June 1876.

The commemoration has been organised by the Gresley Society, which was founded in 1963 to honour Gresley’s life and works, who was one of Britain’s greatest locomotive engineers and Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER).

Among his many achievements, he will be remembered as the designer of the world’s most famous steam locomotive, A3 Class No. 4472/60103 Flying Scotsman, and No. 4468/60022 Mallard, which has held the world speed record for steam locomotives since 1938.

The special headboards replicate the elegant pre-World War II LNER style with Gill Sans lettering, and include:

• LNER class A3 No. 4472/60103 Flying Scotsman
• LNER class A4 Nos. 4498/60007 Sir Nigel Gresley, 4496/60008 Dwight D. Eisenhower, 4488/60009 Union of South Africa, 4489/60010 Dominion of Canada, 4464/60019 Bittern, and 4468/60022 Mallard
• LNER B17 Class No. 2873/61673 Spirit of Sandringham
• LNER D49 Class No. 246/62712 Morayshire
• LNER K4 Class No. 3442/61994 The Great Marquess
• GNR/LNER class N2 No. 1744/4744/69523
• LNER Class P2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales
• LNER Class V2 No. 4771/60800 Green Arrow
• BR Class EM1 No. 26020/76020
• BR/Nederlandse Spoorwgen (NS) Class EM2 Nos. 27000/1502 Electra. 27001/1505 Ariadne, and 27003/1501 Diana
• BR Class 306 No. 306017

A smaller version of the ‘Gresley 150 Anniversary’ headboards will also be carried on No.1 Green Goddess and No.2 Northern Chief on the 15-inch-gauge Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway in Kent. These are one-third scale replicas of Gresley’s A1 Class Pacifics, and Sir Nigel Gresley also visited the line several times.

Also joining in the celebrations will be the Severn Valley Railway, which has produced 14 commemorative destination boards in Garter Blue with Gill Sans white lettering for seven Gresley-designed carriages that will be in traffic on Friday; they will remain on the vehicles for up to five years.

As well as in the UK, headboards will be displayed on A4 Class Dominion of Canada preserved in Canada, Dwight D. Eisenhower preserved in the United States, and EM2 Class Diana preserved in the Netherlands.

“On Friday 19 June we mark 150 years since the birth of Sir Nigel Gresley. It is tremendously fitting that all the surviving and new-build Gresley locomotives will carry these specially designed anniversary headboards in authentic LNER style. We look forward to seeing the photographs from custodians and operators, as well as the many wonderful images from modellers and enthusiasts using #Gresley150.”

Philip Benham MBE, Chairman of The Gresley Society