Original Class Information | About Prince of Wales | Prince of Wales

The Gresley Class P2

The P2s were the most powerful express passenger locomotives ever to run in Great Britain; their mechanical innovations were matched by their bold outward appearance. They were designed by Sir Nigel Gresley, principally to haul heavy express passenger traffic on the Edinburgh to Aberdeen main line which was noted for its steep gradients and tight curves. Although often described as a mixed success, the P2s were a bold step forward for British locomotive design.

The first locomotive of the class

The first locomotive of the class, No.2001 Cock o' the North, was introduced in 1934 and built at Doncaster Works. No.2002 Earl Marischal, was completed by 1935, also at Doncaster. By June 1936 the third engine had been produced, No. 2003 Lord President. Three further locomotives, No. 2004 Mons Meg, No. 2005 Thane of Fife and No. 2006 Wolf of Badenoch, were constructed at Doncaster in 1936, completing the production series. No. 2001 is pictured here being tested in Vitry.

1943-44

Over the period 1943-44 the P2 Class was rebuilt into Class A2/2 4-6-2 ‘Pacifics’ by Edward Thompson. The reasons given for the rebuild were many. Some believed redesign was necessary to alleviate reliability problems caused by engineering issues, others thought the P2’s long wheelbase was simply not suitable for the routes it was working. There was also some debate about fuel economy and also whether a different valve gear configuration might resolve existing design problems. Whatever the reasons for the rebuild, it meant that no original members of the Class survived into preservation. This, again, provided the incentive for the A1 Trust to consider building what would have been the next in the Class series. So it was that following a two year feasibility study, the build of a new P2 Class locomotive, numbered 2007 and named Prince of Wales, was commissioned in 2013.