Significant progress made in quest to build Britain's most powerful steam locomotive

The charitable trust attempting to build the most powerful steam locomotive in Britain from scratch have announced that 'significant progress' has been made towards their goal.
The boilers are being imported from Germany to Darlington worksThe boilers are being imported from Germany to Darlington works
The boilers are being imported from Germany to Darlington works

The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, based in Darlington, built the Tornado - the first new steam locomotive commissioned since 1960 - and it has hauled special charter trains on the mainline and on heritage railways since its launch in 2008.

Their current project is Prince of Wales, a new locomotive based on the famous Gresley class, which engineer Sir Nigel Gresley designed for the LNER between the world wars. They were originally built at Doncaster works in the 1920s and 30s.

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When completed, Prince of Wales - numbered 2007 - is expected to be the most powerful operational steam locomotive running in Britain.

The trust has now secured the purchase of two new boilers from a workshop belonging to German federal railway Deutsche Bahn. One will be fitted onto Prince of Wales and the other will be a spare for both engines.

The £1million order for the boilers was placed in June 2019 and its fulfilment means engineers will now have three boilers that can be rotated between the two locomotives, with one undergoing an overhaul at any one time.

It means that each locomotive will be able to spend longer in service, increasing revenue generated for the trust from charters and reducing maintenance costs.

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The charity launched an appeal called The Boiler Club in 2016 to raise money for the project, and around £460,000 has been donated from 190 supporters and rail enthusiasts. Several recent legacies left to the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust were also utilised.

The trust's commercial director Graeme Bunker-James said: “We are delighted with the progress being made by DB Meiningen on our two new boilers. With all the major pressings produced and boiler barrel sections rolled we now have a kit of parts ready to start the assembly of the first boiler’s firebox shell and boiler barrel.

“The decision to procure two new boilers - one for the ‘heir’ Prince of Wales and the second a ‘spare’ for both No. 2007 and Tornado - is a major strategic move by the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust and fulfils a long-held desire to have three boilers for our two locomotives in order to reduce their time out of traffic during overhauls and act as an insurance policy.

"Having a ‘spare’ boiler will greatly assist with the delivery of regular itinerary tours and ensure that we are a reliable provider of locomotives to our customers as well as our direct passengers.

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“The start of construction of the boiler for No. 2007 Prince of Wales is the next major milestone in the project to build Britain’s most powerful steam locomotive and its delivery in 2021 keeps the project on-track for completion within the next three years.

“The trust was only able to make such a bold move due to the loyalty and generosity of its supporters of both locomotives. We therefore urge those not yet on-board to join us as a ‘price of a pint of beer a week’ covenantor, to either locomotive, or as a member of The Boiler Club for Prince of Wales.”