Great Central Railway Robinson '8D' (LNER 'C5') class Compound 4-4-2 No. 258 'The Rt. Hon. Viscount Cross C.G.B. G.C.S.I.'. Built at Gorton in December 1905 and withdrawn in December 1946 as LNER No. 2895.

John Robinson's '8B', '8C' and '8D' 4-4-2s are rightly regarded to be the epitome of British 'Atlantic' designs. It would be hard, if not impossible to improve on their external appearance of perfectly balanced proportions. There were flaws in performance but these were relatively minor and superheating made significant improvements to their economy. If ever locomotives can be described as 'beautiful', John Robinson was certainly an engineering artist. The immaculate 258 is seen at Neasden MPD in June 1909.

© Steve Armitage Collection