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Latest News from the Gresley Society



PRESS RELEASE - IMMEDIATE



THE GRESLEY SOCIETY TRUST TO ERECT STATUE OF

SIR NIGEL GRESLEY

AT LONDON’S KING’S CROSS STATION



Permissions granted by Network Rail,

Camden Borough Council, and English Heritage.





London’s King’s Cross station is to be graced by a statue of Sir Nigel Gresley, the renowned mechanical engineer who designed locomotives, carriages and wagons for the London & North Eastern Railway from 1923 until his death in April 1941. His achievements include the design of Mallard, the fastest steam locomotive in the world, Flying Scotsman, and famous streamline high speed trains such as Silver Jubilee in 1935 and Coronation in 1937. He also invented vehicle articulation, still used by railway and tramway engineers around the world to this day. Sir Nigel was knighted for his services to the LNER in 1936.



The bronze statue will be a standing figure about seven feet six inches tall, on the same scale as the figure of Sir John Betjeman next door at St. Pancras station. It will be sculpted by Hazel Reeves SWA, FRSA, who also sculpted maquettes of the figure to assist the Gresley Society Trust in obtaining permissions to erect the statue.



Hazel Reeves’ final maquette will now be used by the Gresley Society Trust in raising money for the statue. The expected cost is £95,000, which the Society is now seeking to raise by public subscription. Donations may be made to the Gresley Society Trust through its website, http://gresley.org/ It is hoped that all who admire the work of Sir Nigel will wish to be associated with the statue by contributing to its cost.

The statue will be placed in the Western Concourse, beside the entrance to the Ticket Office, by the wall to West Offices where Sir Nigel and his principal assistants worked until the outbreak of war. Sir Nigel’s likeness will be standing in a familiar pose, holding a copy of The Locomotive magazine. He will be accompanied by a mallard, symbolic of his most famous locomotive. Sir Nigel was known for rearing mallards at his pre-war home, Salisbury Hall, near St Albans. The accompanying wall plaque will carry a QR code, which visitors to the statue may scan by smart phone, to direct them to the Society’s website. A photo of the maquette is an attachment to this press release.



It is planned to unveil the statue on 5 April 2016, the 75th anniversary of the death of Sir Nigel.



David McIntosh, Chairman of the Gresley Society Trust, said: “This is an inspiring project for the Society. In the past we have erected memorials of various kinds in Edinburgh, York and beside the line where Mallard achieved her record speed, and now we are to honour Sir Nigel in London, where he had his office for the last and most productive eighteen years of his life.”



Hazel Reeves, sculptor, said: “I am greatly excited to be deeply involved in this project. Ever since I was asked to make proposals for the statue, and to create maquettes for its evolution, I have been aware of Sir Nigel Gresley and his considerable contribution to the field of engineering. Now that we have permission to erect a full-size statue at King’s Cross, I can express my admiration for the man in a very real way.”



[3/11/14]

- ENDS -

I'm guessing there's something in the latest Gresley Observer - my copy is sat on the coffee table waiting to be read.

HNG DID NOT INVENT VEHICLE ARTICULATION.

At the very best he improved it. William Bridge Adams had patented one similar system in the 1840's, and others including Cugnot had used a similar system at the dawn or steam power.

Paul

Mind you good news about the statue, also that Jamie Oliver and his company are taking over some of the buildings within the KX complex as offices and new restaurants. The old coal offices to be precise. Also that a distant relative of IKB is working as an architect for the contractors.

Paul,

HNG was however granted several patents relating to his form of articulation and improvements and adjuncts to it, which infers an originality rather than any copy:

1908 GB190704512A Means for connecting ends of vehicles riding on an articulation bogie, including side buffers
1910 GB191017147A Improvement in arrangement of side bearings
1923 GB197461A Sprung buffering system for articulated vehicles to limit swaying
1927 GB264765A One piece casting or forging of integrated headstock and articulation bearing cup (with Leeds Forge)

These were also registered in the US and in various European countries.

So contrary to your assertion he did make a significant contributions to the system of articulation, several of which represented continuous improvements to his original method, which is still in use today on various high-speed trains.

Slightly off topic, but closely related. Does anyone know if anything similar has been done in France for Andre Chapelon, who was Gresley's inspiration/mentor for much of the improvement made to the thermodynamic aspects of his locomotives, and who would merit similar commemoration for his magnificent work in that field?


auldreekie

I have to say it rather smacks of the whole conjugated valve gear, don't forget Holcroft did that first. I know Gresley got a patent too, but it happened a lot.

I agree that HNG did indeed get the patents and "enhanced " many things, but all I said was he was not first, which is what the Gresley Society suggest.

Paul

I do not think that anyone is going to be terribly fussed about that. Remember the truth should never get in the way of a good story!

Remove the duck, others will.

Where's the hat?

John

Not before time.
Quite agree John, at least if they want a mallard let him hold a model of an A4, most of the great unwashed will not get the link to the duck anyway.

Perhaps instead of the magazine he should be holding the congratulatory telegram from Lady Wedgewood - 'LMS - Out for duck!'?

JASd17 wrote:Remove the duck, others will.

Where's the hat?

John

From reading about him and his sense of humour, somehow I think he would not have minded the duck.
But as Dave said above the uninitiated will not get 'it' , better a depiction of an A4. And yes it is likely to get pinched.

I am very sure he would not have appreciated the awful (1970's?) suit he's depicted wearing, nor the lack of the hat.
His locomotives always had a certain style and nearly every picture of him shows him stylishly dressed.

Alan

G'Day Gents

That is good news, but will the be a tiny little E Thompson, looking up to the master

manna

Manna,
who do you think the duck is?

G'Day Gents

Easy..........Donald

Went to the Gresley Society meeting today.
They had a minature of the statue on show. Very Impresssed