A million pounds’ worth of ‘Mikado’
New-build project is ‘20% complete, and moving at 2½ times the speed of Tornado
“£1m worth” of Gresley ‘P2’ has now been built, with No. 2007 Prince of Wales 20% complete as its third anniversary approaches. Three years after TV presenter James May made the first component for the LNER 2-8-2 - the smokebox dart - on February 20 2014, and in slightly less time since the rolling of its frames on April 24 that year, P2 Steam Locomotive Company Chairman Mark Allatt declared: “There is over a million pounds’ worth of ‘P2’ in existence.” Of the estimated £5m total cost, he explained, over 45% - £2.25m - has been pledged by supporters, and 25% actually received via regular payments or sponsorship schemes: “We’ve spent 20% of it already - and the project remains on budget, which requires us to raise £½m a year.” With the milestone of wheeling the frames due to take place by June, Mr Allatt reckons the ‘P2’ is approximately at the stage that Peppercorn ‘A1’ No. 60163 Tornado had reached in 1999 - nine years after that project was launched, and six years after its first part was made. He estimates: “We’re moving at about 2½ times the speed of Tornado, although we are doing things in a different order - for instance, unlike the ‘P2’, the ‘A1’ had its cylinders on by the time it was wheeled. “But we’re also funding it in a different way - the Boiler and Mikado Clubs are bringing in larger amounts more frequently, and that’s what allows us to make faster progress.” A further 30 members of the ‘Mikado Club’, pledging £1,000 each, are needed to fund the wheeling of the frames; for details of this, the ‘Boiler Club’ and ‘Dedicated Donations’ sponsorship schemes, visit www.p2steam. com, email enquiries@ p2steam.com or call 01325 460163. No. 2007’s 45ft 5in long frames are now virtually complete in preparation for wheeling, with the fitting of the last major component - the leading brake stay meaning that all ten of the major frame stays (including the bufferbeam) are in place. The LNER used the term ‘frame stays’ instead of ‘stretchers’ as on most other railways. Other recent progress has included the production of the pony truck pintle and nut, fitting the footsteps for the cab and the curved section of running plate, and assembly of the platework between the smoke lifting plates and smokebox.