P2 Progress

This page is a digest of progress to date building the new Gresley Class P2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales.

Headline news: First motion delivered to DLW – Daniela Filová

Progress building Britain’s most powerful steam locomotive continues at Darlington Locomotive Works and includes:

  • Frames: engine’s frame & cab substantially complete; cab side & spectacle window frames fitted; manufacture of pony truck frame complete, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) study being completed in collaboration with Ricardo Rail
  • Cylinders & valves: 3D CAD design of the cylinder block & valve gear substantially complete including weld details & assembly order; requests for quotations sought; detailed manufacturing drawings of cylinder block almost complete; Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) study of steam flow through cylinder block undertaken to optimise steam flow through the cylinder block; updated poppet valve gear design almost complete; some components in manufacture
  • Smokebox & fittings: smokebox assembled and chimney fitted; CFD study underway to check smoke lifting performance of front end and to recommend modifications if necessary
  • Boiler: boiler design study completed & approved by TüV Sud notified body; forged foundation ring corners manufactured; superheater header cast & machined; boiler cladding manufactured; boiler order placed with DB Meiningen (DBM) for delivery in 2021; foundation ring forgings & regulator castings despatched to DBM; minor re-design of the banjo dome to suit P2 cladding completed by DBM; most components made & assembly of boilers underway
  • Fittings: many non-ferrous fittings are being cast and machined
  • Brakes: manufacture of brake rigging well advanced and spring gear underway
  • Wheelsets: crank axle re-designed to comply with modern standards & manufactured; all engine wheelsets complete & fitted to engine
  • Motion: heavy motion ordered from Stephenson (Engineering) Ltd; six coupling rods, inside connecting rod and strap and outside connecting rods forged; four machined coupling rods (leading & intermediate) at DLW & machining of other rods underway
  • Pipework: design well advanced, pipe and fittings procured & installation underway
  • Electricals: significant progress on electrical system with design scrutiny under way; battery boxes built & fitted to frames; stainless steel conduit sections cut & bent as required; prototype of new axle driven alternator to be tested shortly
  • Tender: frame being assembled by ID Howitt; tank constructed at NVES & painted to undercoat at DLW; wheelsets returned from South Devon Railway Engineering
  • Finishing: nameplates and chime whistle delivered
  • To-date, over £3.4m has been spent and £3.8m raised of the required £5m.

FUNDRAISING PROGRESS TO DATE (updated 15th February 2021)

  • Our ‘P2 for the price of a pint of beer a week’ Covenant scheme has attracted over 940 Covenantors to-date
  • The Boiler Club now has 215 of its 300 people target
  • The Tender Club (92/250 people each donating £1,500) is starting to gain traction
  • The Turbogen Club (28/40 people each donating £1,000), our newest mini-club, is generating interest
  • The P2 Support Coach Appeal (39/100 people each donating £1,000), founded in August 2020 to fund the acquisition and overhaul of a support coach for No. 2007 Prince of Wales, has got off to a great start
  • The Motion Club has reached its initial target (175 people each donating £1,000) and will remain open until all the heavy motion is delivered
  • The Pony (Truck) Club reached its initial target of 20 supporters (each donating £1,000) and will remain open until the pony truck is fitted. We have decided to extend the club by a few members to cover the considerable certification costs associated with the modified pony truck design
  • In addition, our Dedicated Donation scheme has already raised over £400,000
  • The Founders Club (to get the project to the point of assembling the frames raised £450,000 from 350 supporters), The Mikado Club (to wheel the locomotive raised £250,000 from 200 supporters, The Cylinder Club (to fund the design and manufacture the cylinder block raised £120,000 from 100 supporters) have all now closed having reached or exceeded their targets
  • Over £2.5m spent and £3.8m raised of the estimated £5m required.