Faced with a growing threat to its freight traffic from road transport, in 1928 the LNER launched its 'Green Arrow' express goods services, a new range of fast, fully brake-fitted, long-distance goods, parcels and perishables trains. To haul these services a top link locomotives were required and at first, A1 and A3 Pacifics were employed along with the LNER's K3 2-6-0s, although the K3s were not suited to the high speeds required for the Green Arrow services. With the Pacifics required for passenger work, in 1935 the LNER announced its intention to develop a new locomotive for long-distance, mixed traffic work and the following year the first of Sir Nigel Gresley's V2 Class entered traffic.
Following the convention of naming a locomotive after the named train it was principally employed on, the first V2 was named 'Green Arrow'. Another convention not followed by the V2 however was that of the wheel arrangement, with the V2 using the 2-6-2 Prairie' wheel arrangement which in Great Britian was generally the preserve of tank locomotives, with other Big Four railway companies generally using the 4-6-0 formation for their larger mixed traffic machines. The 2-6-2 wheel arrangement accommodated a wide firebox, the same type used so successfully on Gresley's Pacifics and P1/P2 Mikados, and whilst visually the V2s had many similarities to the Pacifics, their similarities to the P2s were in many ways their crowning features, including 6ft 2in driving wheels, v-fronted cab, and monobloc cylinder castings.
Four more locomotives emerged soon after Green Arrow, and such was their success that a further 179 were quickly ordered. Despite the outbreak of the Second World War, construction continued of what was to become an important contributor to the war effort. Whilst services such as the Green Arrow goods trains were suspended in wartime, the V2s were employed plentifully moving goods, people, mail, parcels, troops and munitions far and wide. Their performances on lengthened passenger trains were notable, often hauling trains much heavier than what the class had been designed to haul, and at speed too. Such was their contribution to the British transport network between 1939 and 1945 that the V2s later became known to many as 'the engines that won the war'.
Once peacetime returned, the V2s went back to hauling fast freight and passenger services across much of the LNER network. Many were deployed to the former Great Central routes and in Scotland and in both areas, the Class would become a stalwart until the final days of steam. Notable modifications made to the V2s during their operational years include the replacement of the monobloc casting with three separate cylinders - 71 engines were so treated between 1956 and the final withdrawals in 1966. Several types of chimneys were experimented with; one locomotive received a lipless single chimney and three others trialled separate versions including a double blast pipe borrowed from the LMS Royal Scot 4-6-0s. Ultimately, the Kylchap exhaust was trialled and proved successful, so much so that it was recommended the entire class should be fitted, however the onset of dieselisation meant only five locomotives received the new exhaust and associated double chimney.
Withdrawals began in 1962 and in December 1966 the final V2 was taken out of service. Class pioneer 'Green Arrow' was one of the first locomotives to be withdrawn, however its future had already been secured as it was selected for preservation as part of the national collection and following withdrawal, 'Green Arrow' was restored at Doncaster Works. Returning to the mainline during the 1970s, 'Green Arrow' went on to be a popular performer on both the national network and heritage railways until 2008 when she was withdrawn from service with a boiler failure. Notwithstanding the work required to repair the boiler, it is a crack in the monobloc cylinder casting which is the greatest challenge that would need to be overcome if the locomotive were to be restored and returned to steam once again. Today, 'Green Arrow' can be found on display in the Danum Gallery, Library and Museum in its birthplace, Doncaster, where it is on loan from the National Railway Museum.
- Equipped with a Next18 DCC Decoder Socket
- Length 141mm
Detail Variations Specific To This Model
- Original Monobloc Cylinder Casting with Inside Steam Pipes
- LNER Smokebox Door without Numberplate and with Lower Top Lamp Bracket
- Later Style Rocker Arm Guides
- Group Standard Tender with High-Front/Low-Rear Coal Space Dividers
