LNER Class A4 4464 Bittern

Bittern

60019 on the Mid-Hants Railway in February 2008

Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Doncaster Works Serial number 1866 Build date 18 December 1937

Specifications Configuration 4-6-2 UIC class 2'C1h3 Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Leading dia. 3 ft 2 in (0.965 m) Driver dia. 6 ft 8 in (2.032 m) Trailing dia. 3 ft 8 in (1.118 m) Boiler pressure 250 psi (1.72 MPa) Cylinders Three Cylinder size 18.5 in × 26 in (470 mm × 660 mm) Loco brake Steam Train brakes LNER/BR: Vacuum Current: Dual air and Vacuum

Performance figures Tractive effort 35,455 lbf (157.7 kN)

Career Operators LNER, British Railways Class A4 Number in class 24 of 35 Numbers LNER 4464 LNER 19 BR 60019 Official name Bittern Current owner Jeremy Hosking Disposition Under Overhaul

Official Website - Bittern on Icons Of Steam

4464 Bittern is a London & North Eastern Railway Class A4 steam locomotive. Built for the LNER in 1937 at Doncaster Works as works number 1866, it was originally numbered 4464. It was renumbered 19 on 16 August 1946 under the LNER 1946 renumbering scheme and after nationalisation in 1948, was renumbered 60019 by British Railways on 10 October 1948. It is a Pacific 4-6-2 locomotive to the same design by Nigel Gresley as the more famous A4 Mallard and one of the 35 strong class. It is one of six to survive into preservation and is one of three currently certified for mainline use.

In preservation, the locomotive has also worn the identities of a number of its scrapped classmates, including the first of the A4 class 2509 Silver Link and most recently as 4492 Dominion of New Zealand.

Like the other members of its class, Bittern has worn many liveries throughout its career. When released to traffic on 18 December 1937, Bittern was wearing the garter blue livery that was standard for LNER A4 Pacific locomotives at that time. On 14 November 1941 it was repainted into wartime black with LNER markings on the tender. On 22 May 1943 the tender was modified with just the markings NE. It has sometimes been said that this was to confuse wartime spies, but the generally accepted view is that it was to save scarce materials and labour by reducing the number of letters by half. It has also been said that the change was to satisfy the vanity of the new Chief Mechanical Engineer, Edward Thompson, who was a product of the former North Eastern Railway, but this claim is widely discounted. Bittern remained in black until 7 March 1947 when repainted in LNER post-war garter blue with extra red/white lining. Bittern was repainted next on 28 July 1950 into British Railways dark blue with black and white lining. The final repaint for Bittern was into British Railways brunswick green on 12 February 1952.