News Building the new Gresley class P2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales

[Notebook]

The Gresley class P2 2-8-2 ‘Mikados’ were the most powerful express passenger locomotives to operate in the UK. They were designed by Sir Nigel Gresley to haul 600 ton trains on the arduous Edinburgh to Aberdeen route. Sadly, the design was never fully developed and they were rebuilt by his successor Edward Thompson into ungainly 4-6-2s in 1943/4, and scrapped by 1961.
As the builders of new main line steam locomotive No. 60163 Tornado, The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust has therefore decided to set itself a new challenge: to develop, build and operate an improved Gresley class P2 Mikado steam locomotive for main line and preserved railway use.

https://www.p2steam.com/

Just been on local news, they are half-way to the £5Million target for the build.

Must admit didn't know anything about it, but I'm not a complete steam-head.
Nice looking machine.

 

[Urwumpe]

Could get interesting, I remember reading about that plan on the A1 page, but that was terribly underfunded at that point.

Looks like getting the A1 on the rails helped this project as well.

Sadly, the T1 train project in the USA is not so lucky yet. Much more crazy train because of the duplex drive, but I like the art deco look.

 

[Notebook]

The Tornado certainly helped, for some strange reason people like watching it and the Flying Scotsman.

The "Mikado" rings a bell, but I thought that was a US design?

 

[Urwumpe]

The "Mikado" rings a bell, but I thought that was a US design?

Yes, but no. The name Mikado is also used for the wheel configuration of 2-8-2 locomotives in general. Not just for the Japanese locomotive built in the USA.


Just like the A1 class is also called a Pacific (2-6-4)