Gresley's Silver Link: The Evolution of the A4 Pacifics 1911-1941

Gresley's A4 Pacifics are the most famous locomotives ever built, but their fame was short-lived due to the coming of another world war. This book explores the complex evolution of the A4s, considering war, peace, engineering, art, politics, business, recession, social change, the growth of the media, and consumerism, as well as the struggle for professional reputations and international rivalry.

Format: Hardback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 08 November 2022
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd

Gresley's A4 Pacifics are undoubtedly the most famous locomotives ever built, a status cemented by Mallard's record-breaking run on July 3, 1938. And yet, just a year later, the glamorous streaks seemed likely to be cast into obscurity by the coming of another world war. So, for only four exhilarating years, they were allowed to flourish as their creator had intended, capturing the imagination of railwaymen and the public alike. With the help of previously unpublished material, the author analyzes the complex evolution of the A4s, a project that began in 1911 when Gresley was appointed as Locomotive Superintendent of the Great Northern Railway. It is a story with many strands to consider: war, peace, and war again; engineering and art; politics and business; recession and social change; the growth of the media and consumerism; the struggle for professional reputations; and a growing, deeply damaging international rivalry. All these elements are captured in the story of the A4s in the heady days before conflict ended their brief golden age and Gresley's life came to an end.

Gresley's A4 Pacifics are undoubtedly the most famous locomotives ever built, a status cemented by Mallard's record-breaking run on July 3, 1938. And yet, just a year later, the glamorous streaks seemed likely to be cast into obscurity by the coming of another world war. So, for only four exhilarating years, they were allowed to flourish as their creator had intended, capturing the imagination of railwaymen and the public alike. With the help of previously unpublished material, the author analyzes the complex evolution of the A4s, a project that began in 1911 when Gresley was appointed as Locomotive Superintendent of the Great Northern Railway. It is a story with many strands to consider: war, peace, and war again; engineering and art; politics and business; recession and social change; the growth of the media and consumerism; the struggle for professional reputations; and a growing, deeply damaging international rivalry. All these elements are captured in the story of the A4s in the heady days before conflict ended their brief golden age and Gresley's life came to an end.

Weight: 1250g
Dimension: 358 x 248 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399073394