Locomotive project is on track to finish
THE £6M PROJECT STILL NEEDS TO FIND ANOTHER £2M
A MAJOR project to create a classic Sir Nigel Gresley steam locomotive is now two-thirds complete.
The project to build new Gresley class P2 steam locomotive No. 2007 Prince of Wales has now raised more than £4m of the estimated £6m required since the project was launched in September 2013.
The Gresley class P2 2-8-2 “Mikados” were the most powerful express passenger locomotives to operate in the UK.
They were designed by South Derbyshire’s Sir Nigel Gresley, one of Britain’s most important ever engineers, in the 1930s for the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) to haul 600-tonne trains on the arduous Edinburgh to Aberdeen route. He also designed the iconic Flying Scotsman and The Mallard trains.
However, the design was never fully developed and was adapted by Sir Nigel’s successor, Edward Thompson, into ungainly class A2/2 4-6-2 ‘Pacifics’ in 1943/4. They were scrapped by 1961.
The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust – a registered charity that built new 100mph steam locomotive No. 60163 Tornado - is building the seventh member of the class P2 at its Darlington Locomotive Works over 10 years. Unlike with the trust’s first new steam locomotive, significant development work has been required to ensure the new Gresley loco reaches its full potential.
Mark Allatt, trustee, said: “Over the past eight years, the project to build Britain’s most powerful steam locomotive has spent more than
£4m on design and construction and raised over £4m of the estimated £6m required to complete No. 2007 over the next two years.
“The trial fitting of the coupling rods and pony truck to the engine for the first time for the trust’s annual convention is a very significant milestone in the project to build Britain’s most powerful steam locomotive. “We still have another £2m to raise and so if you would like to see a new Gresley class P2 sooner rather than later, I’d encourage you to get onboard by becoming a donor for the ‘P2 for the price of a pint of beer a week’ scheme, joining one of our fundraising clubs or sponsoring a specific component through our dedicated donation scheme.”
More information on the project, including how to donate, is available at www.p2steam.com.
Over the past eight years, the project to build Britain’s most powerful steam locomotive has spent more than £4m on design and construction