England’s Most Powerful Steam Loco To Run Again
Express Passenger 2-8-2 Will Be Reborn
Incredible as it seems, the A1 company has embarked on their most ambitious project ever.
After the successful launch of the Tornado 4-6-2, they are now building England’s most powerful locomotive, a Gresley P2, 2-8-2.
The new “Tornado” A1
Originally, there were 6 of these engines built, including the well-known Cock O’ The North, for the challenging Aberdeen to Edinburgh run.
They were all converted to A2 Pacifics during World War II, and scrapped in the 1960s.
The new engine will be named “Prince Of Wales” in honour of HRH Prince Charles, and is expected to be completed in 7 years.
A true incarnation of a loco that would otherwise never be seen by those under 70 years old!
This is an exciting project, and the end result will be a high speed mainline passenger loco.
There is a great video on the project at the end of this post.
GATHERING PACE: An artist’s impression of the Prince of Wales engine
FUNDING pledges for the second iconic locomotive to be built in the region in the past 50 years are steaming towards £2 million.
Gresley class P2 steam engine Prince of Wales, which will be built in Darlington have passed £1.8 million just 20 months after the £5 million project was launched.
With an eye on Father’s Day next month, the organisation behind the plans for engine No. 2007 has released a new batch of components for sponsorship.
P2 class locomotives were the most powerful passenger steam engines to operate in the UK, designed by Sir Nigel Gresley to haul trains on the tough Edinburgh to Aberdeen route.
The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, which famously built the iconic Tornado locomotive in Darlington, has embarked on the Prince of Wales project through its P2 Steam Locomotive Company subsidiary.
Public interest in seeing a new Gresley class P2 become a reality sooner rather than later is high and more than 650 people have already signed up to the company’s ‘P2 for the price of a pint of beer per week’ (£10 per month or more) covenant scheme.
In addition to this core scheme, funds have been raised through a range of other methods, meaning the project has already received pledges of more than £1.8m (including Gift Aid) of the £5m needed over the next seven years.
Mark Allatt, chairman of the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, said: “We are delighted with the level of support that the project to build Britain’s most powerful steam locomotive has received since its launch 20 months ago, with over £1.8 million of the required £5 million pledged to-date.
“We are hopeful that we will have completed the rolling chassis for No. 2007 Prince of Wales next winter and we remain on-track for completion in 2021.
“However, to maintain this progress we need to continue to raise in excess of £700,000 per year.
“We are therefore taking the opportunity of Father’s Day to give the Dedicated Donation scheme a boost.
Source: Darlington & Stockton Times
Here is a video of the project.
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Er, I think if you look again, you’ll find Tornado is a 4-6-2.
Stunning stuff that you have. Memories are made of this
The boiler for Tornado had to be made in Germany—Sadly no one in the U.K. could do the job….KC.
Interesting Keith. The boiler for 3801 was made there too. It is a complete shambles and the engine may not run for several years due to boiler issues. There is a lot of blaming going on, and no one seems to know who is responsible.
We’ve had similar problems over here…we have a perfectly good articulated doing nothing because the only person who has any idea on how to rework that type of very long boiler is well into his nineties and no one feels the need to learn such antiquated crafts.
“Originally, there were 6 of these engines built, including the well-known Cock O’ The North, for the challenging Aberdeen to Edinburgh run.” So the class were also Scotland’s most powerful steam loco, not just England’s.
Well said, so they were Scotland’s most powerful passenger locos? IN any case it will be good to have a brand new one running in a few years.
Um. They were built in England!!@
Correct, Its was based at Dundee depot.
Agreed, the original ones – while built in England – did most of their work in Scotland, but to be fair the promotional video does say ‘BRITAIN’S most powerful steam loco.’
This is fantastic. Thank you
This is very exciting material. I am an avid steam train fan.
A beautiful piece of art and engineering!
Great to see this but the claim that the P2 was the most steam powerful locomotive in the UK is incorrect. That accolade goes to Gresley’s class U1 Beyer Garratt with a tractive effort of 72,940 lb compared to the P2’s 43,462 lb.
I know. The most powerful passenger engine would have been more correct.
Um? Englands most powerful because thats where they were built!!!!!
I know all of the A2’s were converted to Pacifics and that the boiler for the new loco is being built in Germany.