Historic Steam Project Marks Progress as Boiler Arrives for New P2

Britain’s most powerful steam locomotive took a major step closer to completion on Tuesday, 9 December, with the delivery of its boiler to Darlington.

The boiler, the largest and most expensive single component of the engine at over £500,000, was manufactured at Dampflokwerk Meiningen in Germany. It is now housed at the new Darlington Locomotive Works alongside the wheeled frames, tender, and monobloc fabricated cylinder of the locomotive.

The P2 class locomotive, No. 2007 Prince of Wales, is the second new-build steam engine undertaken by the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust. Once complete, it will operate on the national rail network. The original P2 ‘Mikado’ locomotives, designed in the 1930s by Sir Nigel Gresley—also responsible for the Flying Scotsman and Mallard—were Britain’s most powerful express passenger engines, capable of hauling 600-ton trains over the challenging Edinburgh to Aberdeen route.

Richard Courteney-Harris MBE, P2 Project Director, said:

“It is a proud day for the Trust as we begin to see the dream becoming reality as the P2 starts to take shape. The boiler is the beating heart of any locomotive and as the largest and most expensive component, its delivery today is a message of intent as we look forward to Prince of Wales steaming for the first time. In the year that railways celebrate their bicentenary, we are delighted to be building on that proud heritage, here in Darlington where it all began with Locomotion No.1 200 years ago.”

The new P2 project is expected to cost around £7 million, of which £5 million has already been raised. Funded predominantly by enthusiasts donating £10 a month, larger contributions have supported major elements such as the boiler through the ‘Boiler Club’. The Trust anticipates the locomotive’s first movements in around three years, driven by the passion and dedication of Britain’s railway heritage community.

Image: A1 Steam Locomotive Trust