A Trio of Grantham ‘Racehorses’

photographs by Tony Newman

A visitor to Grantham Loco (the locomotive sheds and yard) in the early 1960s, during the few years before its closure, was likely to find several Class A3 express passenger locomotives there.  At least one of them would usually be standing in the shed yard as main line pilot - ready at short notice to take over a train in either direction whose rostered motive power, whether diesel or steam, was having a bad trip.

These photographs portray a trio of these handsome locomotives at Grantham.  Each was named after a thoroughbred racehorse from the late 19th or early 20th century. 

Data for the individual engines indicate that the date is sometime between October 1962 and June 1963.  By this time there was no staff resource at Grantham Loco to keep their fleet of steam locos clean.  Nevertheless their lines continue to evoke a high speed reputation on the East Coast Main Line pioneered, in the public eye, by their well-known sister Flying Scotsman but equally well deserved by each member of the 78-strong class.

The photographs show that there's a brisk wind from the north east on this day, so  the town was being spared the smoke often carried across it from the Loco by the prevailing south westerly airstream.  In their 1960 annual report the Chief Public Health Inspector for the Borough of Grantham had remarked that 'the railway sidings remain a source of atmospheric pollution'.

Copyright note:  the article above is published with the appropriate permissions.  For information about copyright of the content of Tracks through Grantham please read our Copyright page.