1, GNR Stirling Single 4-2-2

A preserved GNR Stirling Single 4-2-2 express passenger locomotive, built at Doncaster Works in 1870 as the prototype of Patrick Stirling's celebrated 8-foot Single class — the most distinctive British express locomotives of the Victorian era. Withdrawn from Great Northern Railway service in 1907 after covering 1,404,663 miles, set aside for preservation that same year, and ultimately transferred to the National Railway Museum at York.

No. 1 was the first of 53 Stirling Singles built at Doncaster between 1870 and 1895, characterised by their enormous 8 ft 1 in driving wheels — chosen to maximise the mechanical advantage of each piston stroke and provide smooth, sustained high speed. The large wheel diameter compelled Stirling to place the cylinders outside the frames, making the Singles distinctively unconventional for British practice of the period. They worked the GNR's East Coast expresses between King's Cross and York for three decades and took part in both the 1888 and 1895 Races to the North — the unofficial speed competitions between East and West Coast routes that gripped the Victorian public. No. 1 was brought out of retirement by the LNER in 1938 to haul a special train with a rake of original GNR teak coaches — one of the earliest examples of a preserved locomotive working in active commemorative service. On display at the NRM in its iconic GNR apple green livery with the correct Stirling tender (restored 2014).

Last recorded at the National Railway Museum, York, owned by the National Railway Museum. Operating status: Static display. Current livery: GNR apple green.

Location, livery and operating status last confirmed pre-2024 and subject to change. Check with the owning organisation or heritage railway for current information.