The Class A4 Locomotive ‘Bittern’ was built in 1937 by the London North Eastern Railway Company, one of only 35 of its class to be built. She is sister to the famous ‘Mallard’, the fastest steam locomotive in the world. ‘Bittern’ spent her life operating from London to York, Newcastle and Edinburgh on the East Coast Main Line and in 2013 became, at the time, the fastest steam locomotive in preservation, reaching 90mph on three historic runs. With boiler certification of mainline locomotives lasting only seven years, a one year extension was granted for ‘Bittern’s’ boiler, allowing her to operate on heritage railways for a few more months, at 25mph.

‘Bittern’ is now in a queue awaiting her second major overhaul in preservation and was transported by road from LNWR Heritage in Crewe to become the first locomotive housed at The One:One Collection Museum, Margate.

Photos by: 1 - Mike Bell, 2 - Adrian Smith, 3, 4 + 5 - David Babaian