Inject another £50,000 into a new Gresley P2!
THE A1 Steam Locomotive Trust has launched The Injectors Club – the latest in its highly successful series of national fundraising initiatives to build Britain's most powerful steam locomotive, Gresley P2 2-8-2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales.
No. 2007 will require both a live and exhaust steam injector. Using a series of converging and diverging cones, a live steam injector is used to deliver cold water into the boiler against its own pressure, using its boiler steam with no moving parts.
The exhaust steam injector is even more complex, as it is capable of running on exhaust steam from the cylinders when power is applied or live steam when the regulator is closed. By reusing steam that would otherwise be exhausted through the chimney, it provides a worthwhile saving in coal and water.
In 2017, the trust acquired a new Davies & Metcalfe live steam injector – part of a batch of 10 manufactured for a consortium of Bulleid Pacific owners – from Merchant Navy
No. 35006 Peninsular & Oriental S.
N. Co. based at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway.
Borrowed patterns
The trust is also manufacturing a new Davies & Metcalfe Class K exhaust steam injector using patterns borrowed from No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester and also measuring an example borrowed from No. 70000 Britannia. All the interior components have been drawn as 3D CAD models by the trust's Martin Shepherd, while P2 engineering director David Elliott has completed the 3D modelling of the injector body.
In order to keep on schedule to complete No. 2007 within the next three years, the trust needs to have both injectors ready for installation in 2022. It is estimated that the injectors will cost around £50,000 to acquire, manufacture and install. Therefore, The Injectors Club aims to recruit 50 supporters each donating £1000 plus Gift Aid (in up to four payments of £250).
Members will get the opportunity to buy tickets on one of the first trains hauled by No. 2007, reasonable access to the P2 at all times, an exclusive certificate signed by the design team of David Elliott, Daniela Filová and Martin Shepherd, and the chance to attend a special supporters' day with A1 No. 60163 Tornado.
Trustee Mark Allatt said: “We are delighted with the support the project to build Britain's most powerful steam locomotive has received since its launch over seven years ago. With more than £3.4 million spent and around £3.9 million donated to date of the estimated £5 million required, we remain on track for completion within three years.
“However, to maintain this progress we need to raise £700,000 per year and The Injectors Club will make a significant contribution to this total.”
Meanwhile, both machined outside connecting rods have now been delivered to Darlington Locomotive Works. The fundraising campaign to raise an initial target of £210,000 to finance the manufacture of the heavy motion has so far raised £178,000 through The Motion Club.
The work involved in manufacturing the motion includes the redesign of coupling and connecting rods to use modern material, as prewar nickel chrome steel alloy proved prone to fracture; incorporation of late-pattern BR-type continuous white metal lined crank pin bearing bushes; and the use of the late-A1 design of inside connecting rods, which overcame the tendency for the original design of inside connecting rods on LNER Pacifics to suffer big-end failure.
In May 2018, the trust placed an order of £181,000 with Stephenson (Engineering) Ltd of Atherton, Manchester for the heavy motion.
Rods to be fitted
David Elliott said: “The delivery of the outside connecting rods for Prince of Wales is a major step forward for the project, especially given the limitations of working during the Covid-19 pandemic. The machining of each rod by Stephenson (Engineering) Ltd takes around 100 hours. The next few months will see the completion of all of the heavy motion and the trial fitting of the coupling rods to the engine – creating the first tenderengine standard gauge Mikado in the UK since 1945.”
➜ Supporters can join The Injectors Club by visiting www.p2steam. com/support/the-injectors-club, by emailing enquiries@p2steam.com, or telephoning 01325 460163.