Designed by Sir Nigel Grseley the Mallard rolled out from the Doncaster plant on March, 3, 1938 painted LNER garter blue with red wheels and steel rims.
Steam-hauled rail services in the UK were at the time limited to 90mph but as the A4s were so big – the locomotive is 70 ft (21 m) long and weighs 165 tons – it regularly had to run significantly above 90 mph just to keep to schedule.
Even to this day the LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard is still unbeaten and holds the title for the world speed record for steam locomotives at 126 mph, which it smashed on July 3, 1938 on the East Coast Main Line between Grantham and Peterborough.
The Mallard covered almost one and a half million miles (2.4 million km) before it was retired in 1963. It sat idle for more than two decades but then in in 1986 under went a two-year restoration project.
It has made a few journeys since then but is not regularly seen on the tracks, now it sits proudly at the National Railway Museum, York.
To honour Sir Nigel Gresley’s feat of engineering and to mark the anniversary of the roll out we have delved into our archives to bring a bumper gallery of the fastest steam loco in the world which was built by the people of Doncaster.
Want more Doncaster retro? Remember when these Doncaster building were demolished? Doncaster in the early 1980s
1. Sivler model
In 2001 a unique sterling silver O gauge model of the famous Mallard, housed in the National Rail Museum in York, was held by Cliff Bray a freight train driver from Doncaster, and grandson of Tommy Bray who was the fireman on the footplate of the Mallard during its famous speed run
Photo: Mike Cowling
2. Sir Nigel Gresley's letters
Manager of Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery, Carolyn Dalton with rare letters from Sir Nigel Gresley, designer of The Mallard,
Photo: Tony Johnson
3. Gathering a crowd
Alan Pegler with the Mallard on display at Doncaster Works open day in 2003
Photo: Dean Atkins
4. From the front
A view of World Record holder A4 Pacific Mallard from the front
Photo: tony saxton