75th Anniversary of Mallard’s Steam Train Speed Record of 126 mph

How to drive the world record-breaking steam train Mallard: Locomotive gets a final clean and polish ahead of celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of its 126mph landmark journey

LNER Class 4 engine broke the world speed record of 126mph along the East Coast Line new Grantham in July 1938
The locomotive has been reunited with its five sister trains at the National Railway Museum in York
A ‘Great Gathering’ to celebrate the Mallard’s achievement is taking place until 17 July

A world record-breaking locomotive has received its final clean and polish ahead of its 75th anniversary celebrations.

On 3 July 1938 the Mallard steam locomotive reached speeds of 126mph along the East Coast Main Line near Grantham and broke the world steam record – a record which still stands today.

To celebrate the anniversary of this record-breaking success, the LNER Class 4 steam engine is being reunited with its five sister locomotives, including the Dominion of Canada and the Dwight D. Eisenhower, for a ‘Great Gathering’ at the National Railway Museum in York.

To drive the record-breaking journey, driver Joe Duddington would have squeezed the release handle on top of the reverser (D) lever and pushed it forward from the floor.

To drive the Mallard, driver Joseph Duddington would have squeezed the release handle on top of the reverser (D) lever and pushed it forward from the floor. He then would have then opened the cylinder drain cock (L) by turning the valve clockwise. Duddington would then have blown the whistle (C) a couple of times using the whistle handle to announce the train was about to move forward. To start moving, he would have released the brakes (B) using the brake gauge (G). The top lever would have been moved from right to left to release the brakes on the engine and then he would have opened the throttle (A). During the journey, Duddington would have monitored the train using the main boiler pressure gauge (E) and the steam chest pressure gauge (F). The injector steam and boiler water gauges are at (H) and (I), the manifold isolation valve is shown at (J) and the fire hole is pictured at (K)