Gresley’s D49s

Gresley’s D49s follows the career of this important class which ran in service between 1927 and 1961. Introduced by the London & North Eastern Railway for intermediate passenger trains, the engines were designed by the world-renowned locomotive designer Sir Nigel Gresley. Some of the class members featured poppet valves with rotary cam valve gear. This offered improvements over conventional piston valves. The D49s were employed in the North East of England and Scotland and the engines are pictured at a number of locations in these areas, such as stations, sheds, from the lineside, as well as workshops. The images span both the LNER period and British Railways ownership and consist of nearly 200 high quality colour and black-and-white photographs. A large number of the 76 class members are included in both eras. One D49 4-4-0 has been preserved and is at present under overhaul. Whilst this occurs, this collection can serve as an interesting reminder of the D49s and a distant era well worth remembering.