The V2 Prairies – Gresley’s finest?
By Ian Crowder

During 2007, the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway hosts the National Railway Museum’s fine Gresley V2 2-6-2 no. 4771 Green Arrow (BR number 60800) as the star visitor to the railway’s Cotswold Festival of Steam. Here is a brief history of this outstanding class of mixed traffic engines.

Mixed traffic locomotives are perhaps the real unsung heroes of Britain’s railways. Rugged reliability coupled with the ability to handle anything hooked behind the tender are their staple diet. Locomotives such as the LMS Black Fives, GWR Halls or the Southern’s S15s are all fine machines that could always be relied upon to do their job without fuss or bother. But somehow, none quite stirred the imagination in the same way that Sir Nigel Gresley’s three-cylinder V2 2-6-2 mixed traffic locomotives did.

The V2 class looked like top-link engines with their apple-green express livery and sleek design, inspired by their larger cousins, the A1/A3 pacifics. But fast freight is what Gresley had in mind when he put pencil to paper and started developing what was to become, arguably, his most successful locomotive type. They were the first large class of 2-6-2 (Prairie) tender locomotives to run in the UK.

The V2s doing what they did best 1: 60975 at Newstead with an empty stock train in 1964 (Chris Ward: http://annesleyfireman.com/)

On the drawing board
The design’s background can be traced to the K2 2-6-0 and through a series of options – including an articulated tender – the 2-6-2 wheel arrangement was finally settled on. This allowed a boiler with Gresley’s trademark wide firebox to be fitted. They also incorporated the three-cylinder arrangement of Gresley’s pacifics, using his conjugated gear to operate the centre piston valve. During development, streamlining – similar to the A4 pacifics – was seriously considered but the final diagram, of 1935, was conventional: the only legacy of this adventure being the pointed, streamlined cab.

The first five appeared in 1936 and the first of the series, no. 4771 Green Arrow, quickly achieved fame for working the the Kings Cross to Glasgow express goods – a train known as the ‘Green Arrow’ (it carried a huge quantities of fresh produce) and after which the locomotive was named. In all, 184 were completed; the last emerging from Doncaster works in 1944.

Performance
The class could be found throughout the LNER system but the majority were allocated along the east coast main line, between Kings Cross and Aberdeen. Although designed for express goods work, they proved themselves capable of smart performance on express passenger work, on occasion even deputising for A4 pacifics. Indeed, in 1953, the SR withdrew all of its class 8 Merchant Navy pacifics because of crank axle problems and borrowed some V2s off the Eastern Region. The engines acquitted themselves well, including regular turns on the heavy all-Pullman ‘Bournemouth Belle’.

During the war, the V2s excelled themselves, handling some of the LNER’s heaviest troop and freight trains. However, poor track and locomotive maintenance uncovered a problem with the pony truck springing resulting in derailments. The pony truck was replaced with a spring control system ‘borrowed’ from the Stanier 8F class (LNER 06 class) and all of the V2s were so modified

Maintenance and modifications
A unique feature of the V2 was a single monobloc casting for all three cylinders, steam chests and smokebox saddle. The advantage of this was reduced weight; streamlined steam passages and absence of leaks associated with flanged joints.

Unfortunately, the monoblocs were prone to cracks which modifications did little to improve. By the 1950s maintenance was becoming difficult and costly because if one cylinder suffered a crack the whole monobloc had to be replaced. So, from 1956, engines suffering cracks had the single casting replaced by three separate cylinder castings. But with the end of steam approaching, only 71 engines were so converted, Green Arrow escaping this treatment.

In 1961, experiments were carried out to improve draughting and two of the class were fitted with double-chimney Kylchap exhausts – which significantly boosted their performance. The recommendation was made to convert all of the class in this way but again, the prospect of dieselisation brought a swift end to this work, only eight being modified. The following year, withdrawals started and by the end of 1962, 69 had been consigned to scrap. No. 60831 was the last to go, in 1966 – indeed the last large Gresley engine to be withdrawn.

The V2s doing what they did best 2: 60828 leaving Annesley with a freight on 8 May 1964 (Chris Ward: http://annesleyfireman.com/)

The pioneer – no. 4771 (BR number 60800) remained more or less ‘as built’ retaining its monoboloc cylinder casting and single chimney and was selected for the for the national collection. Since 1971, the engine has been a regular and popular performer on the main line and it has made appearances in both its BR livery and LNER apple green livery (which it now carries). It is thought that after 2007, Green Arrow will be withdrawn for good – partly because of wear and a repaired crack in its monobloc cylinder casting – and is unlikely to be overhauled to run again.

Names
Green Arrow was the first to be named as the pioneer of the class and they thus became known as the ‘Green Arrow’ class. Seven others were named, after regiments and schools associated with the LNER network. More would have received names if the war had not intervened.

Numbering
LNER original numbering scheme: 4771-4954
LNER 1946 renumbering scheme: 800-983
British Railways numbering: 60800-60983

Statistics

Cylinders

Three

18 ½ in x 26in

Valve gear

Outside

Walschaerts

Inside

Gresley conjugated

Piston valves

9in dia

Boiler

Pressure

220 lb/in2

Heating surface

3111 ft2

Grate area

41 ¾ ft2

Wheels

Leading

3ft 2in

Driving

6ft 2in

Trailing

3ft 9in

Tractive Effort

33,730lb

BR power classification

6MT

Length overall

33ft 8in

Axle load

22 tons

Sources: Wikipedia; LNER encyclopedia (www.lner.info); The Locomotives of Sir Nigel Gresley (OS Nock)

Our thanks to Chris Ward for permission to use his photographs. Chris started his railway life as a cleaner at Annesley depot, working his way up to fireman and has fond recollections of the V2s.There are further excellent pictures on Chris’s website - http://annesleyfireman.com/

Finally a couple of shots of Green Arrow at Toddington during her visit. Both pictures by Steve George.