On 3 July 1938, the A4 class locomotive Mallard raced down Stoke Bank at 126mph to set a new steam locomotive world speed record. That record still stands.
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On 30 November 1934 his Flying Scotsman, an A1 Pacific, was the first steam locomotive to officially exceed 100mph in passenger service, a speed exceeded by the A4 Mallard on 3 July 1938 at 126mph, a record that still stands.
It all began on this day in 1934. Then, the “Flying Scotsman” became the first steam locomotive to be officially recorded reaching 100 mph, during the 393-mile trip for London and Edinbugh.
3440, City of Truro, which was built at the Swindon Works in May 1903, was hauling a mail train from Plymouth to London in May 1904 when it reached a claimed top speed of just over 102 mph.
The Flying ScotsmanBuilt in 1922, Flying Scotsman has been described as the world's most famous steam locomotive. Since it was first built, few parts of the locomotive have survived as many of its components have been renewed and replaced several times over.
One of the most successful early steam locomotives was Rocket, built by English engineer Robert Stephenson. In 1829, Rocket won a contest called the Rainhill Trials to find the best locomotive. The winner got the contract to pull trains on the world's first intercity line, between Liverpool and Manchester in England.
In 1934, Scotsman was clocked at 100mph on a special test run—officially the first locomotive in the UK to reach that speed. The test run proved to the LNER's directors that steam power could provide high speeds, negating a plan for the company to use diesel power on its high-speed services.
True, there is little or no chance of steam trains replacing electric and diesel trains on our modern rail network. But if steam remains history, it is an unusually active and extensive variety of history. Steam has made an impressive comeback under the guise of heritage, to become an enormous national asset.
Mallard: The world's fastest steam locomotive | National Railway Museum. We're open seven days a week. Book your free admission ticket now to visit the museum. Schools and groups can book free tickets here.
One of the most beautiful steam locomotives ever built, the S1 was designed by Raymond Loewe. Poor balancing caused wheel-spin and only one was ever built, for the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1939.
The locomotive, as its ownership changed, remained in Darlington from 1857, in later years on display at the Head of Steam museum in Darlington, in the same building as Darlington's North Road station.
Big Boy No.4014. Twenty-five Big Boys were built exclusively for Union Pacific Railroad, the first of which was delivered in 1941. The locomotives were 132 feet long and weighed 1.2 million pounds.
It was on 30 November 1934 that Flying Scotsman achieved the first properly authenticated 100mph for a steam engine. This was while she was running between Leeds and London.
Due to budget constraints, the model was not powered. City of Truro was the first engine in the television series to not have a face, and his smoke box door was recycled from a Märklin German BR 80 class (also known as “Märklin Engine”).