3440 City of Truro - a 4-4-0 express locomotive which achieved fame as the first locomotive to achieve a recorded 100 mph, on 9 May 1904. Owned by the National Railway Museum, City of Truro made its inaugural run after a major overhaul on the GWR in 2004 and is now based at Toddington although is a frequent visitor to other railways.

Photograph copyright Mike Squire, 1990

Wheel arrangement:

4-4-0

Origin:

Great Western Railway

Introduced:

1903

Working weight:

90 tons

Water capacity:

3,000 gallons

Purpose:

Express passenger work. The 20 ‘City’ class locomotives quickly gained a reputation for nimble performance. City of Truro achieved notoriety by reaching a claimed top speed of just over 102mph when hauling a London-bound mail train from Plymouth, when it was less than a year old, in 1904. However, the class became confined to secondary lines, including the route of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, as larger locomotives were introduced. All had been withdrawn from service by 1931.