This Class B17 locomotive was built by the London and North Eastern Railway in Darlington Works in April, 1936.

It's designer was Sir Nigel Gresley, who also designed the record-breaking streamlined Mallard, now preserved by the National Railway Museum. No examples of the B17 class have been preserved.

2854 Sunderland was on of 26 members of its class named after famous football clubs. (Sunderland fans will be interested to note that 2858 was originally named Newcastle United but carried the name for only one month before being renamed The Essex Regiment).

Sunderland fans will know that their team won the FA Cup in 1937 but may not know that 2854, which had been booked to haul the Cup Final Special train from Sunderland to London, was under general repair at the time and was therefore not available. The resourceful LNER, however, simply switched its nameplates with those of 2851 Derby County so that the latter could fulfil this special duty in 2854's place.

The B17's spent most of their time working trains between London and East Anglian destinations and rarely appeared outside of that territory. Most were scrapped well before the Beeching era, Sunderland itself being put to the torch in November, 1959.

Other members of its class named after North East clubs were 2852 Darlington and 2855 Middlesborough.