Saturday, 24 January 2026

Lord Nelson

 

Lord Nelson

                                            850 'Lord Nelson'

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Designed by Richard Maunsell in 1926 for Southern Railway (1923-1947), the Lord Nelson class of steam locomotives operated until 1962. Sixteen engines were built, all named after famous British admirals and explorers. The first engine was named Lord Nelson, and gave its name to the whole class. They were intended for high-speed passenger work.

All the locomotives were scrapped except for Lord Nelson, which can still be seen operating on heritage railways and special tours on mainlines throughout Britain.

            850 'Lord Nelson' crossing the Dandrymire Viaduct, Garsdale
                                Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

58 comments:

  1. I like riding on trains. They're very relaxing and the world goes by at the perfect pace.

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    1. I like train journeys, too. They promise so much.

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  2. I would love to see that! Beautiful train.

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  3. The dedication and committment of those who run heritage trains is amazing.

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    1. It's interesting to see young people becoming involved, too.

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  4. I did NOT expect to see an image of a steam train when I opened this post! First laugh of the morning!

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  5. They were beautiful machines weren't they.

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    1. They were. We have miniatures on the never-to-be-completed train set and they are perfect.

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  6. They perhaps ran on the east coast line to Edinburgh, at a high speed. It is a handsome train, and very stylish for the time.

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    1. Locomotives are quite remarkable feats of engineering, as are rail tracks.

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  7. I'd love train rides. What a great journey on that would be

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  8. I grew up riding on trains, and have not been on one since my grandmothers funeral, in 1969. she was the person at the end of all our rides.

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    1. A train journey is always exciting, for some reason - that sense of going somewhere special, but then I don't have to commute daily to work in crowded carriages..

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  9. I lived in Sussex in 1960s but we only had the third rail electric trains, and a sad little shunting tank engine. I would have loved to see locos like this at that time, we only saw such beasts when visiting relations in Suffolk hauling out of Liverpool Street station in London.

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  10. 'The romance of steam' - and the smuts on clothes and face at the end of the journey. Nonetheless, it was powerful and exciting.

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  11. this is an impressive one. I'm glad they kept it.

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    1. So am I. We scrap too much of our heritage in UK.

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  12. Lord Nelson was a naughty boy!

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  13. Rail travel used to be a grand way to s get around.
    Nice to see this one still in service.

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    1. Rail travel can be quite expensive now, which is offputting.

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  14. What a wonderful picture it makes.

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  15. What a classic image of how trains were.

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  17. Have you watched Train Dreams? Such a good movie, imo.

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    1. Thank you for the recommendation - I will look for it.

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  18. My dad was a railway and steam engine enthusiast, which led to nearly all our family holidays in my childhood came to include visiting railway museums, or even just looking for remains of old railways and stations out in the middle of nowhere - with dad taking photos of whatever traces of them he could find. (He also wrote, or participated in writing, four books on old Swedish railways and steam engines.) Our two family holidays in Britain (1971+74) were also full of visits to "heritage railways". Before I moved away from home at age 20, I had ridden on a lot more steam trains than modern ones! ... I did not inherit my dad's keen interest in them, though - and neither did my brother!

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    1. How interesting! You must have learnt so much.

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  19. I haven't seen this one yet, but I have encountered some interesting vintage trains here and there on Britain's rail lines. It seems there are many train enthusiasts who get a kick out of seeing them in operation.

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    1. People gather at railway lines to watch famous locomotives pass by, having spread the word through social media. I always learn of these things after the event!!

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  20. It’s fascinating how much history and craftsmanship are packed into the Lord Nelson locomotives. I love that one has survived and can still be seen in action. It really brings the era of high-speed steam travel to life.

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  21. How I would love to take a trip on Lord Nelson!

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  22. I thought I would like train rides for travel. Like from Boston to New York City. After the first half hour I start thinking I could be in NY in another half hour if I had taken the train. It's a 3 - 4 hr. trip.

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    1. That's when you begin to realise how huge your country is.

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    1. I wonder how many people have never been on a train. Is it unusual?

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  24. I do like steam trains and heritage lines ...
    Might go on the Watercress Line this summer!

    All the best Jan

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    1. The volunteers who work on them are true enthusiasts, and live and breathe trains and all things related.

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  25. He's a beauty! I recently went to York railway museum and had a wonderful time! I bought my husband a FLying Scotsman t-shirt for his birthday!

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  26. That's a great name for a steam engine. I love these old machines. Thanks for another interesting post.

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  27. Two of my favourite things, steam trains and viaducts 😀

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  28. Viaducts are beautiful feats of civil engineering

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  29. Steam engines seem to have a real charm and this locomotive is very handsome.

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  30. Thanks for the comment on my blog - I am working on a writing project at the moment - I hav lots of info on my blog so today I have worked out how I am going to organise it all! We are big train fans here - loved the viaduct!

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  31. We have been watching - again! - Michael Portillo on his train journeys. Fascinating.

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