This page is a digest of progress to date building the new Gresley Class P2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales.
Headline news: Tender tank delivered to DLW – Daniela Filová
Progress building Britain’s most powerful steam locomotive continues at Darlington Locomotive Works and includes:
- Frames: engine’s frames substantially complete and cab & and cab side & spectacle window frames fitted; manufacture of the pony truck frame at North View Engineering Solutions Ltd (NVES)
- Cylinders & valves: 3D CAD design of the cylinder block and valve gear substantially complete; weld details and assembly order being finalised
- Smokebox & fittings: smokebox assembled and trial fitted to the frames; chimney fitted
- Boiler: boiler design study completed; forged foundation ring corners manufactured; superheater header cast & machined; boiler cladding manufactured; boiler order placed with DB Meiningen for delivery in 2021; foundation ring forgings and regulator castings despatched to Meiningen; minor re-design of the banjo dome to suit the P2 cladding has been completed by DBM; first firebox flange plates manufactured
- Fittings: many non-ferrous fittings are being cast and machined
- Brakes: work well advanced on manufacture of brake rigging and spring gear well underway
- Wheelsets: crank axle re-designed to comply with modern standards and manufactured; all engine wheelsets complete and fitted to engine
- Motion: all heavy motion ordered from order with Stephenson (Engineering) Ltd; first four forgings completed, with machining in progress – more underway
- Valve gear: updated poppet valve gear design almost complete; components in manufacture
- Pipework: design well advanced and installation under way
- Electricals: significant progress on electrical system with system architecture design frozen, electrical trunking layout design almost complete, battery boxes under construction, prototype of new axle driven alternator to be tested shortly; GSMR radios acquired
- Tender: frames being assembled by ID Howitt at Crofton; tank construction completed by NVES and undergoing painting at DLW; wheelsets returned from South Devon Railway Engineering to DLW
- Finishing: nameplates and chime whistle delivered
Fundraising progress to date:
- Our ‘P2 for the price of a pint of beer a week’ Covenant scheme has attracted over 930 Covenantors to-date
- The Boiler Club now has 191 of its 300 people target
- The Motion Club has almost reached its target (164/175 people each donating £1,000)
- The Tender Club (65/250 people each donating £1,500) is starting to gain traction
- 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) and The Pony (Truck) Club (to fund the design and manufacture of the pony truck raised £24,000 from 20 supporters) have all now closed having reached or exceeded their targets;
- Almost £2.5m spent, almost £3.0m raised and almost £3.75m pledged of the required £5m.