Introduced to a design by Nigel Gresley for the Great Northern Railway in 1920, 1744 was built by the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow in February 1921. At the Grouping two years later, it became LNER 4744 and then 9523 under the 1946 renumbering scheme, before finally becoming BR 69523 at nationalisation. Withdrawn from New England shed, Peterborough in September 1962, it was purchased by the Gresley Society Trust for preservation the following year. It has been based variously at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, the Great Central Railway and – most recently – the North Norfolk Railway, where, following a major overhaul, it is set to return to steam in time to celebrate ‘Gresley 150’ during 2026.