Ex-North Eastern Railway Raven 'S3' (LNER 'B16/1') class 4-6-0 No. 61427. Built at Darlington in March 1921 as NER No. 932 and withdrawn in March 1960.

So useful a design were Raven's 'B16s' that the LNER continued building a further 32 adding to the 38 already built making a class total of 70. A true 'mixed traffic' locomotive, they were designed to handle both heavy freight and express passenger work. Both Gresley and Thompson rebuilt some of the class with valve gear and boiler modifications but these rebuilds had only slightly longer lives because of BR's 'modernisation' plans to eliminate steam in (undue) haste. Unmodified 61427 is seen ex-works at Darlington in August 1955 looking a true thorughbred.

© Ken Widd-SA Collection