Mallard gets a make-over (From York Press)

Mallard gets a make-over

3:08pm Thursday 2nd August 2012 in News By Haydn Lewis , haydn.lewis@thepress.co.uk

THE world’s fastest steam locomotive tried a little black number on for size at York's National Railway Museum.

Mallard has had a fresh coat of primer in the workshop of the NRM in readiness for a new blue livery to celebrate its 75th anniversary next year.

The world record-breaking locomotive will also meet with its sister A4 locomotives from across the pond Dominion of Canada and Dwight D Eisenhower which are returning to UK soil in September for the first time in over half a century. Mallard was temporarily on display to visitors in its black primer coat in the Museum’s north yard yesterday morning (August 2).

The repatriation of Dominion of Canada and Dwight D Eisenhower is just the first step towards a celebratory programme of events in 2013 to mark 75 years since the mighty blue machine broke the world speed record.

The centrepiece of the celebrations will be a never-seen-before line up of all six of the surviving A4 locomotives in the world.

To ensure they are looking as stylish as their record breaking sister, No. 60010 Dominion of Canada will receive a full cosmetic overhaul at the National Railway Museum in Shildon into the distinctive garter blue livery that captured the public’s imagination when No 4468 was awarded the world speed crown.

Dwight D Eisenhower will also undergo cosmetic restoration work in the York museum workshops to ensure its existing BR Green livery is in top condition for the anniversary celebrations.

Steve Davies, director of the NRM said: “We wanted to do something really special to mark the 75th anniversary and what could be more spectacular than an international family reunion for the A4s?

“When these mighty machines were exported across the Atlantic in the Sixties, no one thought they would ever come back, now the planning of their journey to the UK is well advanced. The sheer scale of this project to move these locomotives back to home soil is immense and it is testament to the vision of the National Railway Museum and our transatlantic colleagues that we are able to make this happen.”