City of Truro

No. 3440, City Of Truro, is a 4-4-0 '3700' or 'City' Class steam locomotive, which was built in 1903 for the Great Western Railway at their Swindon locomotive works, in the United_Kingdom. Outshopped as no. 3717, City of Truro was one of twenty such 'City' Class locomotives, built from 1903–1909 for hauling express passenger trains. On 9 May 1904 the locomotive was reputedly the first ever to travel in excess of 100 mph (160 km/h), reaching a speed of 102 mph (164 km/h) whilst hauling the "Ocean Mails" special from Plymouth to London Paddington. This fact is widely believed but has not been conclusively proved. The first steam locomotive recorded at over 100 mph (160 km/h) was the Flying Scotsman.

In the period 1927–1931, the 'City' Class were gradually replaced and scrapped. However, the historical significance of City of Truro led to its continued survival after withdrawal from service in 1931. It was purchased by the London and North Eastern Railway and was subsequently displayed at a new musseum in York. This site later became the present-day National Railway Museum. In 1957, the locomotive was returned to service by British Rail for hauling special excursion trains, and was renumbered to no. 3440. It was finally retired from traffic in 1961, and passed into the National Collection as a static exhibit. The locomotive was restored once more in 1984 to take part in the 150th anniversary celebrations of the Great Western Railway. City Of Truro was recently restored to full working order, at a cost of £130,000 to mark the 100th anniversary of its record-breaking run.

The locomotive has also featured as a character in "Duck and the Diesel Engine" (1958), part of the Thomas the Tank Engine series of books by the Rev. W. Awdry.