Raven N.E.R. A2 pacifics

The first London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) Class A2 was a class of 4-6-2 steam locomotive designed by Vincent Raven for the North Eastern Railway (as NER class 4.6.2). Two were built by the NER in 1922 before the grouping and another three by the LNER in 1924. Their LNER numbers were 2400–2404. All five locomotives were named by the LNER.
The NER was the largest and most prosperous of the railway companies that would make up the LNER from 1923 and provided the general manager of the new railway company. However the chief mechanical engineer of the NER, Sir Vincent Raven was at retirement age and the new post was eventually offered to Nigel Gresley of the Great Northern Railway. He had introduced a powerful new A1 Class pacific in April 1922, and Raven was anxious to show that the NER could keep up with the race for increased power. Raven's rival design was authorised at the same time as the introduction of the A1 class publicised in the railway press in July 1922 although the first two examples did not appear from Darlington Railway Works until late December, and only one of them ran before the beginnings of the LNER.
he new class was an enlarged version of the successful Z class Atlantics (later LNER C7 class) with a larger boiler, larger cylinders and wide firebox. The boiler pressure was also increased to 200 psi (1.38 MPa). They shared with the Gresley K3 class the record for the largest diameter boiler in Britain, at 6 ft (1.83 m). Also, because of the great length of their parallel boilers, the locomotives earned the nickname 'Skittle-alleys'.
Components for three further examples of the class had been prepared by Darlington works, and construction of these was authorised in February 1923. This was the same month that Nigel Gresley took up office.and may have been ordered without his knowledge. These locomotives appeared in March 1924. However, comparative trials between the first two examples of the A1 and A2 classes conducted in the summer of 1923 showed that the A1 was a more technically advanced machine and no more Raven A2s were built. Thus the A1 was chosen as the LNER's standard express passenger locomotive


2400 City of Newcastle


https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LNERSteam/Raven-Locomotives-1/Raven-Tender-Locomotives/Raven-A2-Pacifics/i-qw9VgwM

Raven A2 Pacifics - Railway-Photography
railway photographs from the last 100 years
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https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LNERSteam/Raven-Locomotives-1/Raven-Tender-Locomotives/Raven-A2-Pacifics/i-np8cVhh

Raven A2 Pacifics - Railway-Photography
railway photographs from the last 100 years
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2402 City of York (r) with 3 Gresley pacifics


https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LNERSteam/Raven-Locomotives-1/Raven-Tender-Locomotives/Raven-A2-Pacifics/i-ptqJzQB

Raven A2 Pacifics - Railway-Photography
railway photographs from the last 100 years
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2402 City of York

https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LNERSteam/Raven-Locomotives-1/Raven-Tender-Locomotives/Raven-A2-Pacifics/i-BptTQpj

Raven A2 Pacifics - Railway-Photography
railway photographs from the last 100 years
railway-photography.smugmug.com

2402 City of York unknown location 21st January 1932

https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LNERSteam/Raven-Locomotives-1/Raven-Tender-Locomotives/Raven-A2-Pacifics/i-gmV32g5

Raven A2 Pacifics - Railway-Photography
railway photographs from the last 100 years
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2403 City of Durham

https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LNERSteam/Raven-Locomotives-1/Raven-Tender-Locomotives/Raven-A2-Pacifics/i-C8hVQHc

Raven A2 Pacifics - Railway-Photography
railway photographs from the last 100 years
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2403 City of Durham Raven A2 with Gresley specially built 8 wheeled tender


https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LNERSteam/Raven-Locomotives-1/Raven-Tender-Locomotives/Raven-A2-Pacifics/i-sVjbw4m

Raven A2 Pacifics - Railway-Photography
railway photographs from the last 100 years
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In an attempt to improve the steaming of the class Gresley rebuilt No. 2404 with an A1-style taper boiler in 1929, reducing the boiler pressure to 180 psi (1.24 MPa) but no noticeable improvement was achieved. Therefore, once the locomotives came due for heavy repair during 1936-37 they were all withdrawn from service and scrapped

2404 City of Ripon

https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LNERSteam/Raven-Locomotives-1/Raven-Tender-Locomotives/Raven-A2-Pacifics/i-fVsMx5f

Raven A2 Pacifics - Railway-Photography
railway photographs from the last 100 years
railway-photography.smugmug.com


https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LNERSteam/Raven-Locomotives-1/Raven-Tender-Locomotives/Raven-A2-Pacifics/i-M48VnXK

Raven A2 Pacifics - Railway-Photography
railway photographs from the last 100 years
railway-photography.smugmug.com


https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LNERSteam/Raven-Locomotives-1/Raven-Tender-Locomotives/Raven-A2-Pacifics/i-TgTnVGf

Raven A2 Pacifics - Railway-Photography
railway photographs from the last 100 years
railway-photography.smugmug.com


Neil

 

https://railway-photography.smugmug...ender-Locomotives/Raven-A2-Pacifics/i-ptqJzQB = Haymarket ?