LNER steam locomotive �Cock O The North�, c 1930s.

UNITED KINGDOM - MAY 08: London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) P2 three-cylinder 2-8-2 express locomotive No 2001. The Cock o' the North' was designed by the LNER's famous Chief Mechanical Engineer Sir Nigel Gresley, specifically to overcome the difficulties posed by the severe gradients and tight curves of the line between Edinburgh and Aberdeen. It was the first eight-coupled locomotive to be built in Britain for express passenger service. The locomotive was completed in 1934, but although its performance was in many ways excellent, it did not deal effectively with the problems of the sharp curves on the route for which it had been designed. (Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)