REVIEW OF THE MONTH
The A4 Pacifics After Gresley 1942-1966
Ronald Hillier and Tim Hillier-Graves
Pen & Sword Books, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS. Tel: 01226 734222. Web: www.pen-and-sword.co.uk Description: Hardback, 260 x 248mm, 222pp. ISBN: 9781399073431. Price £30
Is it true or simply conjecture that LNER CME Sir Nigel Gresley was at loggerheads with his successor Edward Thompson? Following extensive research, author Tim Hillier-Graves suggests that they simply had different approaches to clever design and achieving high productivity. Perhaps it made their department run better.
Although the LNER was never prosperous, it was determined to put up a good show on its prestige East Coast route, and the streamlined three-cylinder 4-6-2s were a public relations dream even if their spell of glory was brief with the outbreak of the Second World War. Their appearance and reliability inevitably deteriorated as they were flogged hard and suffered reduced maintenance for six years. In peacetime, a decision had to be made what
