Editing LNER Class A4 (section)

== Overview ==
Gresley introduced the Class A4 [[locomotive]]s in [[1935 in rail transport|1935]] to haul [[Streamliner|streamlined]] ''[[Silver Jubilee (train)|Silver Jubilee trains]]'' between [[London King's Cross railway station|London King's Cross]] and [[Newcastle railway station|Newcastle]]. The service was named in celebration of the [[Silver Jubilee of George V|25th year]] of King [[George V]]'s reign.

During a visit to Germany in 1933, Gresley had been inspired by high-speed streamlined ''[[Flying Hamburger]]'' diesel trains. The [[London and North Eastern Railway]] (LNER) had considered purchasing similar trains for use from London to Newcastle but the diesel units of the time did not have sufficient passenger carrying capacity and the capital investment in the new technology was prohibitive.

Gresley was sure that steam could do equally well with a decent fare-paying load behind the locomotive. Following trials in 1935 in which one of his [[LNER Gresley Classes A1 and A3|A3 Pacifics]], No. [[LNER Class A3 2750 Papyrus | 2750 ''Papyrus'']], recorded a new maximum of {{convert|108|mph|km/h|1|abbr=on}} and completed the journey in under four hours, the LNER's Chief General Manager [[Sir Ralph Wedgwood, 1st Baronet|Ralph Wedgwood]] authorised Gresley to produce a streamlined development of the A3.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hughes|first=Geoffrey|title=Sir Nigel Gresley: The Engineer and his Family|year=2001|publisher=The Oakwood Press|isbn=0-85361-579-9|pages=128–129}}</ref> Initially four locomotives were built, all with the word 'silver' in their names. The first was [[LNER Class A4 2509 Silver Link|2509 ''Silver Link'']], followed by 2510 ''Quicksilver'', 2511 ''Silver King'' and 2512 ''Silver Fox''. During a press run to publicise the service, ''Silver Link'' twice achieved a speed of {{convert|112.5|mph|km/h|1|abbr=on}}, breaking the British speed record and sustained an average of {{convert|100|mph|km/h|1|abbr=on}}, over a distance of {{convert|43|miles|km|1|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite book |last=Nock |first=O.S. |title=The Locomotives of Sir Nigel Gresley |location=London |publisher=The Railway Publishing Co. |year=1945 |page=129}}</ref>

Following the commercial success of the ''Silver Jubilee'' train, other streamlined services were introduced: ''[[The Coronation (train)|The Coronation]]'' (London-Edinburgh, July 1937) and the ''[[West Riding Limited]]'' (Bradford & Leeds-London & return, November 1937) for which more A4s were built.