‘A1’ wheels for Spirit of Sandringham
Patterns from the building of ‘A1’ No. 60163 Tornado are to be used for the driving wheels of ‘B17’ No. 61673 Spirit of Sandringham. With the Peppercorn ‘Pacific’ and the Gresley 4‑6‑0 sharing the same 6ft 8in wheel diameter, agreement has been reached between the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust and the B17 Steam Locomotive Trust for the use of Tornado’s patterns. Sheffield firm William Cook Cast Products Ltd, which is already making the cast frame stays and spring hangers for No. 61673, will also produce the wheels. With £10,000 needed for each wheel, a fundraising drive has been launched with the spokes available for sponsorship at £500 each, or £20 per inch. For details, call 07527 670436 or visit www.b17steamloco.com Trust Chairman Brian Hall said that the assembly of the frames should take place during the second half of 2017, with the rear dragbox trial‑fitted to the frames at the Llangollen Railway on February 9. Drawings for the bufferbeam gussets have been completed by David Elliott of the P2 Steam Locomotive Company, and an order for these will be placed shortly.