The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust has announced that the pony truck for No.2007 Prince of Wales has been fitted, meaning for the first time since 1945, there is a Mikado in existence in Great Britain.
The rear Cartazzi wheelset was fitted in early 2018, followed by the eight driving wheels in July 2018.
2007 is classified under the Whyte notation as a 2-8-2, which means 2 leading wheels, followed by 8 driving wheels, and lastly 2 trailing wheels.
This wheeling of No.2007 was funded by the 200 members of The Mikado Club, who each donated £1000 (plus gift aid) towards the project. A selection of wheeling parts, including a drive wheel, is still available to sponsor under the Dedicated Donations Scheme.
Since 1945, the work to re-wheel the first Mikado has involved:
- Machining axle and cannon box castings, manufacturing roller bearing details
- Boring eight coupled wheel bosses to finished size
- Assembling bearings and cannon box onto pony truck axle
- Assembling bearings, cannon and axle boxes onto plain coupled axles
- Trial fitting coupled axles to frame
- Pressing Cartazzi wheels onto axle, fitting & machining tyres and fitting bearings & axleboxes
- Pressing plain coupled wheels onto axles, fitting and machining tyres
- Assembling crank axle, fitting bearings & axleboxes, pressing wheels onto crank axle, fitting and machining tyres
- Finish machining crank bosses & boring crank pin holes and machining & fitting all crank pins
- Trial fitting wheelsets to frames at DLW.
What did the officials say?
Mark Allatt, P2 Project Director and Trustee, The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, commented:
“We are delighted with the level of support that the project to build Britain’s most powerful steam locomotive has received since its launch. Thanks to our supporters’ continued generosity, over £3m has now been donated or pledged.
“The fitting of all of the wheels to the engine and therefore creating the first standard gauge ‘Mikado’ in Great Britain since 1945 marks a significant milestone in the construction of No. 2007 Prince of Wales. Thanks to the dedication and generosity of our supporters, we remain confident that we are on-track for completion of new Gresley class P2 locomotive No. 2007 Prince of Wales in 2021.
“I would encourage all steam enthusiasts who haven’t yet contributed to this exciting project to help us to meet these deadlines by becoming a monthly ‘P2 for the price of a pint of beer a week’ Covenantor. It’s time to get on board! This year will see further major announcements as the construction of new Gresley class P2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales gathers pace.”
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I’m more a Southern railway person I think it’s a great engine cos it’s like a lost class of LNER engines that Gresley designed, the likes of people say the smoke deflectors are ugly is stupid it’s what Gresley designed and built and that’s that. Overhualing Mallard is a crazy idea look what happened with flying scotsman you had trespassers on the national network.
Although it’s great to see a Mikado being built I cannot forget that this class was never really successful in mainline use when the original 6 were built and the decision was eventually made to rebuild all of them to 4-6-2’s like A1’s or A2’s, or have all the original problems been solved now with modern technology?
It’s so good to see so many steam railway locomotives coming back from the dead which proves that steam has a very strong appeal in the 21st century.
l’m mainly a Great Western man and due to my age I favour C.B Collet’s locomotives. But I like to see other locos of the big four
being restored to working condition.
Keep up the good work!!!
Let’s get the world’s most famous steam train on the rail’s again Mallard.
Mallard isn’t a “steam train”, it’s a steam locomotive. A train refers to the whole consist.
Highly unlikely, as there are 3 other A4s in the UK and for most of the time, at least one of them has been available to work trains on the main line.
As a long retired railwayman who saw all 6 of the original locomotives, unfortunately in their ugly rebuilt form, I cannot understand Greslay’s thinking with the sloping smokebox front. I know this cannot be seen from the side because of the smoke reflectors, but to me this spoils what is otherwise a beautiful locomotive. I hope when I finally see 2007 I can change my mind.
Hate the design of the smoke deflectors wastes the look of this locomotive, its as if the deflectors had got bent and been damaged.😧😧
First standard gauge Mikado tender engine since 1945, as there are a number of 7200 class tank locos in existence, as well as a couple of 2-8-2 tender locos, albeit narrow gauge, on the Ravenglass & Eskdale, one of which predates all the standard gauge classes.