London & North Eastern Railway 4-6-2 No. 60008 'Dwight D Eisenhower'
Green Bay, WI, United States
Location: National Railroad Museum
Status: Display
Posted: Feb 13, 2022 @ 13:02:46 by Russell Newman
This is the history of No. 60008 "Dwight D. Eisenhower". A member of Sir Nigel Gresley’s famous streamlined A4 Pacific steam locomotives built for the London & North Eastern Railway to haul passengers along the famous East Coast Mainline from London’s Kings Cross Station to Edinburgh on the East Coast of Scotland. Built in 1937 at Doncaster Works as LNER No. 4496 she was originally named "Golden Shuttle" but was renamed to "Dwight D Eisenhower" in the late 1940s after the American allied commander who played a vital role in the Second World War and who would later become president of the United States of America.

Having spent most of her working life with the LNER and later as British Railways No. 60008 she was withdrawn from service at her last steam shed at New England, Peterborough in July 1963. The following year in 1964 after a cosmetic make over at Doncaster Works No. 60008 was gifted to the National Railroad Museum at Green Bay, Wisconsin in the United States of America for preservation as a static exhibit there. The A4 was moved from Doncaster to Southampton Dock where it was loaded aboard the cargo ship "American Planter" that transported the locomotive from the UK to the USA arriving in New York and then transported by rail to Green Bay in May 1964 as the only LNER A4 Pacific in the United States of America.

The A4 is displayed along with two LNER teak bodied coaches that were used by Eisenhower that were part of his command train in the UK during the Second World War. In October 1990 No. 60008 made a visit to Abilene in Kansas to go on display there to mark the centenary of Eisenhower’s birth. The move there and back both ways was done as a special train at slow speed, since the locomotive and two cars from the command train used the British vacuum braking system, incompatible with the American air-braked trains.

From 2012 to 2014 No. 60008 was famously temporarily repatriated to the UK along with sister A4 No. 60010 or LNER No. 4489 "Dominion of Canada" for the 'Great Gathering' marking the 75th anniversary of sister A4 No. 4468 "Mallard" becoming the worlds fastest steam locomotive at the speed of 126mph a world record that still stands today. For this No. 60008 was cosmetically overhauled, in the workshops of the National Railway Museum in York which saw a new coat of authentic BR Brunswick Green paint to replace the inaccurate shade applied during a repaint at Green Bay.

In 2013 The Great Gathering was held in the Great Hall of the National Railway Museum in York which saw all six surviving LNER A4 locos together from No. 60008 "Dwight D Eisenhower", No. 60007 "Sir Nigel Gresley", No. 60009 "Union of South Africa", No. 4464 "Bittern", No. 4489 "Dominion of Canada" and No. 4468 "Mallard" for the first time since the end of steam in the UK in the 1960s. During her time back home in the UK No. 60008 was on display at York for a few months and visited Barrow Hill Roundhouse in Derbyshire before finally visiting Locomotion at Shildon in County Durham for the 'Great Goodbye'. The 'Great Gathering' was a once in a life time event and will go down as the greatest gathering of steam locomotives in preservation. After this No. 60008 was returned back to the United States of America and back home to the National Railroad Museum at Green Bay, Wisconsin where the A4 is the centrepiece telling the story of railways during the Second World War in the UK, Europe and the United States of America and continues to be the only A4 in the USA today. Will 60008 return to the UK again? Well, it's unlikely but never say never as anything could happen in railway preservation.


Posted: Jul 23, 2013 @ 12:07:55 by Steve Frost
Since arriving at the National Railway Museum, the loco has had a complete repaint in British Railways dark green. The name plates have been restored to their correct black backing and the yellow paint removed from the letters to show the polished metal as built. All the motion has had the silver paint removed and returned to polished steel.

This job was part of the agreement for the loan of the loco from Green Bay, Wisconsin. The loco will return in February 2014.


Posted: Oct 11, 2012 @ 13:10:51 by Steve Frost
The loco has now arrived in the UK and is currently at the Locomotion Musuem at Shildon. What a contrast to the loco from Canada. The Americans have kept it's external condition looking good, unlike the Canadian example.
Posted: Oct 6, 2012 @ 12:10:40 by Steve Frost
2013 is the 75th anniversary of sister loco 4468 Mallards 126 mph sprint to set a world speed record for steam which stands today.

To celebrate this, 60008 is returning to the UK so that all six surviving A4s can be seen together. This will be the first time that this has been possible for nearly half a century, and is unlikely to happen again in the forseeable future. Not an occasion to be missed, especially as the consecutively numbered 60007, 60008, 60009 and 60010 will line up for the fans.

The loco is on its way home after a delicate operation to extract it from the Green Bay Museum site and movement by rail to Canada to meet up with sister 60010 Dominion of Canada before loading onto a ship for their transAtlantic voyage. After the events in the UK next year, it will return to Green Bay.


Posted: Aug 23, 2003 @ 23:08:05 by John Fowles

 

I am an ex avid trainspotter from England where we have railways not roads

60008 is one of a few surviving menmbers of the beautifully streamlined Gresley A4 class express Pacifics (4-6-2)
Her most famous sister is ex 4468 later renumbered in 1946 22 then 60022 "Mallard" the holder from 1938 of the world's steam engine speed record at 126mph
http://www.gresley.org.uk/gres_ref.htm
60008 was originally 4469 Golden Shuttle and later renumbered 8 then 60008

she was renamed to honour Ike on 25 sept 1945 then renumbered after the nationalisation by British Railways as 60008  


Posted: Aug 23, 2003 @ 22:08:23 by

Posted: Dec 10, 2002 @ 09:12:57 by stephan schauer
this locomotive pulled presadent eisenhower's train in europe