Probably the most iconic Pacific Express design of locomotive in Great Britain, the LNER Gresley A4, with its streamlined casing, was a classic symbol of the attitude towards speed and design in the 1930s.
The 1930s saw increased competition to the railways from road and air travel and the LNER Board knew that they had to make travel between the major cities faster, more comfortable and more reliable. High speed diesel services were starting to make an impact abroad, in May 1933, the German State Railways diesel-electric Fliegende Hamburger entered service, running for extended periods at 85mph and by 1934, in the USA, Burlington Zephyr had reached 112.5mph during a longer 1,015 mile journey.
Nigel Gresley, the LNER's Chief Mechanical Officer, travelled on the Fliegende Hamburger and was impressed by its streamlining, although he realised it was only efficient at high speeds. Gresley was certain that a modified A3 Pacific, with streamlining, could haul greater loads than the German or US locomotives, at the same speed or faster and a series of trials were conducted to confirm the Al's suitability.
Their streamlined design not only made them capable of high speeds, but created an updraught of smoke, avoiding the obscuring of the driver's vision that was such a major problem on the Class AJ engines. The story goes that during windtunnel testing, after several unsuccessful efforts to get the smoke to lift clear, a thumbprint was inadvertently left on the clay model, just behind the chimney. This succeeded in clearing the smoke and was incorporated into the final design.
In total, 35 A4s were built in four batches, 2509 - 2512, 4462- 4469, 4482 - 4500 and 4900 - 4903, between 1935 and 1938. They spent their working lives hauling express passenger services from King's Cross to Edinburgh, via York and Newcastle and although the Deities proved worthy successors of the A4s on East Coast Mainline express services in the late 1950s, other diesel classes were unreliable. The A4s were kept in service until the mid-I 960s, the last service under British Rail being the Aberdeen-Glasgow service on September 14, 1966.
It was in July 1938 that 'Mallard' was recorded travelling at 126mph at South Bank on the East Coast Mainline, snatching the record from the German railway by a mere 1.5 mph - a record that still stands to this very day.
View all A4 Class locomotives
 
Our Hornby engineers have developed a unique sound decoder that not only provides superior DCC control but also dedicated sounds associated with the locomotives that have been installed with this new sound decoder - TTS Twin Track Sound. 
 
 
Background/Exhaust/
Coasting Steam
Chime Whistle Long
Chime Whistle Short x 2
Doors Slamming Shut
Wheel Slip
Safety Valve
Injector
Cylinder Cock
Brake
Blower
Guards Whistle
Coupler Clank
Fireman's Breakfast
Toggle Sound Mode between 'Chuffing' & 'Coasting'
Coal Shovelling
Blow Down
 
RailRoad
Our Hornby RailRoad collection provides a perfect entry into the exciting world of 00 gauge railway modelling. Designed to be less easily damaged, yet maintaining attractive detailing and accurate liveries, the range is ideal for both the younger enthusiast and experienced modeller.
% Safety Notice
Colour and contents of products may vary from those illustrated