75 YEARS OF THE A4s

摘要

It is sobering to pause awhile and consider that if matters had turned out slightly differently, the glorious era of streamlined steam traction in Great Britain might never have occurred. For, in the early-1930s, the London & North Eastern Railway asked the builders of Germany's 'Flying Hamburger' diesel train whether they could supply similar high-speed units for the London-Newcastle service. If the manufacturers had been able to meet the LNER's specifications, it is almost certain that a fleet of diesels would have been ordered for the East Coast Main Line . . . and it would be those we now remember rather than Gresley masterpieces such as Mallard and Silver Link.