The first London and North Eastern Railway

London and North Eastern Railway

The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...

 (LNER) Class A2 was a class of 4-6-2

4-6-2

4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...

 steam locomotive

Steam locomotive

A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...

 designed by Vincent Raven

Vincent Raven

Sir Vincent Litchfield Raven KBE was chief mechanical engineer of the North Eastern Railway from 1910 to 1922.- Biography :...

. Two were built by the North Eastern Railway

North Eastern Railway (UK)

The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...

 (as NER class 4.6.2) in 1922 before the grouping

Railways Act 1921

The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...

 and another 3 by the LNER in 1924. Their LNER numbers were 2400-2404. All five locomotives were named by the LNER.

Because of the great length of their parallel boilers, the Raven pacifics earned the nickname 'Skittle-alleys'.

The Great Northern Railway's

Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)

The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....

 Class A1

LNER Class A1/A3

The London and North Eastern Railway LNER Gresley Classes A1 and A3 locomotives represented two distinct stages in the history of the British 4-6-2 "Pacific" steam locomotives designed by Nigel Gresley...

, which was a more technically advanced machine, was chosen as the LNER's standard express passenger locomotive so no more Raven A2s were built.

All the Raven A2s were withdrawn in 1936-1937 and none has survived into preservation.

Stock list

LNER No.	Name	Built	Withdrawn
2400	City of Newcastle

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|2401
|City of Kingston upon Hull
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|2402
|City of York
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|2403
|City of Durham
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|2404
|City of Ripon
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