GNR Class H3

The Great Northern Railway Classes H2 and H3, which the London and North Eastern Railway reclassified as K1 and K2, were 2-6-0 steam locomotives designed by Nigel Gresley for mixed-traffic work. The class was created to haul heavier goods trains at speeds of up to 40 mph, and it was later developed into the more powerful H4, which the LNER called K3. The ten K1 engines were built at the GNR's Doncaster Works in 1912 and 1913. Five further batches of K2s followed between 1914 and 1921 from Doncaster, the North British Locomotive Company and Kitson and Company, and they were the first design to use Gresley's patented double swing link pony truck. The class was nicknamed the Ragtimers for its lively running at speed and its Walschaerts valve gear, then uncommon on the GNR. All the K1s were rebuilt as K2s between 1920 and 1937, and the K2s were withdrawn and scrapped between 1955 and 1962.