THE project to build new Gresley ‘P2’ No. 2007 Prince of Wales is now two-thirds complete, with over £4m of the estimated required £6m raised since it was launched in September 2013. The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust (A1SLT) is constructing the 2-8-2 at Darlington Locomotive Works.
The engineering team has completed the considerable amount of work involved in converting the original class ‘P2’ monobloc cylinder casting into a welded fabrication.
This has included: Finite Element Analysis to check for structural integrity; improving the layout of the valves to reduce the clearance volume, which affects cylinder efficiency); rerouting the steam and exhaust passages to physically separate them to prevent incoming steam from heating the outgoing exhaust; increasing the size and improve internal streamlining of steam passages along Chapelon lines to increase maximum power and improve economy; and reducing the overall width of the cylinder block to provide Prince of Wales with the widest possible route availability on the main line.
Progress