Sir Herbert Nigel Gresley CBE was a British railway engineer and designer of some of the most famous steam locomotives in Britain, including the elegant, powerful and much-loved Flying Scotsman and Mallard.
In 1934, Flying Scotsman became the first steam locomotive officially recorded over 100 miles per hour in passenger service. Four years later, in 1938, Mallard broke the world speed record for steam locomotives. That record, of 126 mph, still stands today.
Gresley was born in Edinburgh during his mother's visit to see a gynaecologist in the city, but he was raised in Derbyshire, England. After serving his apprenticeship in Crewe and holding various junior roles, he gradually began to work his way up, holding positions at Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and then Great Northern Railway.
In 1923 he was appointed Chief Mechanical Engineer at the newly formed London and Northeastern Railway (LNER) where he would go on to design many locomotives, including the two that ensured him widespread fame and success.
Gresley’s designs were aerodynamic and streamlined and they quickly captured the public imagination in an age that was increasingly fascinated by speed and technological innovation. Gresley was appointed CBE in 1920 and was knighted in the 1936 Birthday Honours by King Edward VIII.
Gresley remains a respected figure to this day: a statue of him, designed by Hazel Reeves, was unveiled at King's Cross station, London, in 2016, while both Flying Scotsman and Mallard have been preserved by the National Railway Museum in York.
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