It was the night of the Baedeker raid, part of Germany's plan to destroy those famous British towns which had 'three star status' in the German guide to Britain, written by Herr Baedeker.
The LNER's north shed, which became '50A' in BR days and now is the NRM's Great Hall received a direct hit. There is a famous photograph of one of Sir Nigel Gresley's streamlined A4 Pacific locomotives on its side.
But why is it only missing the centre driving wheels? Today, would you be able to pinpoint exactly where the bomb fell? What happened to the locomotive after the bomb exploded?
All these questions will be answered in the next edition of the Friends quarterly magazine, NRM Review, together with the whole story of what happened on that fateful night.
Find out more about Friends contributions here
Russ Rollings
[E08F]
The centre driving wheels had already been removed for maintenance before the air-raid. A plaque in the floor now records the exact site where the bomb landed. The locomotive was later taken to Doncaster where it was scrapped, but the tender was refurbished and used again.