LNER Class V2

The LNER Class V2 was a class of 2-6-2 steam locomotives that Sir Nigel Gresley designed for express mixed traffic work across the British network. It was the only major class of 2-6-2 tender engines in Britain, and the wheel arrangement let a large firebox sit unobstructed by the rear driving wheel while the leading pony truck steadied the engine at speed. Derived from the Gresley A1 and A3 Pacifics with smaller driving wheels and a shortened boiler, it kept Gresley's favoured three-cylinder layout, cast in a single monobloc. In all 184 were built in 14 batches at Doncaster and Darlington between 1936 and 1944, with construction continuing through the Second World War because the class proved so useful on fast freight and heavy passenger trains. The first, number 4771 Green Arrow, came out of Doncaster in June 1936 and is now the only example preserved. Four further engines ordered as V2s were completed to Edward Thompson's redesign as Pacifics.