7 1/4 inch gauge LNER A4 "Sir Nigel Gresley"

Whilst not the last locomotive to emerge from his workshop - there was an LNER B1 completed in recent years and a Britannia left in build at the end - the builder considered this A4 "Sir Nigel Gresley" his magnum opus, the highpoint of a forty year model engineering career.

Completed in 2001, it was steamed twice ever from new, both times on his short garden railway test track, which makes its performance all the more remarkable - it runs beautifully, everything working exactly as expected.

Scaled up from the Michael Breeze 5 inch gauge drawings, the locomotive has three cylinders as per prototype with Gresley Holcroft conjugated valve gear - fit and finish of the motionwork and valve gear is to a high standard. The locomotive is fitted with steam brakes, with driver's brake valve mounted alongside the reverser stand.

Underneath the garter blue livery, the streamlining has been made mainly in stainless steel (making an already tricky job that that much harder). The smokebox door is accessed via the "cod's mouth", operated by a winding handle inserted through the frames at the front.

The engines steams freely and runs exceptionally well. Steamed for the first time in nearly twenty years on our portable track outside the works, it had the silky smooth acceleration and feeling of pent-up power that, ironically, we only normally experience with the largest battery electric locomotives (some of which, these days, have missile-like performance).

Whilst photographing the engine outside earlier in the week, we've never had so many people stop, roll down their windows and want either to talk about it or take a picture on their phone.

The video of it running outside the workshop

which we posted after steaming the engine a couple of months ago has drawn similar levels of interest, with over 5000 views - there's something about Gresley's iconic streamlined design that seems to appeal to the inner train spotter in everybody.