‘Price of a pint of beer a week’ regular donation scheme on-track to raise over £250,000 per year

The project to build new Gresley class P2 steam locomotive No. 2007 Prince of Wales is delighted to announce that it has recruited its 1,000^th on-going ‘P2 for the price of a pint of beer a week’ covenantor or regular donor. The covenant scheme to build Britain’s most powerful steam locomotive was launched in March 2014 and is now on-track to raise over £250,000 per year, having raised almost £2m to-date.

Despite the impact of COVID-19, progress on the construction of our new Gresley class P2 ‘Mikado’ is moving forward rapidly. The engine has reached the condition where it is recognisably a class P2 and the structurally complete tender tank and tender wheelsets are now at Darlington Locomotive Works (DLW). Construction and assembly work continues on all fronts, including boiler, wheelsets, tender, heavy motion, pipework and electricals. Design work for the extensively modified and improved cylinder block is complete with construction underway, with the focus now turned to adaptation of the Lentz rotary cam poppet valve gear to overcome deficiencies in the original design.

Our fundraising is also moving forward well:

• The monthly ‘P2 for the price of a pint of beer a week’ Covenant scheme has attracted over 1,000 Covenantors – surpassing our 1,000 members target by the end of July 2021
• The Boiler Club has already recruited 228 members of its 300 members initial target; The Tender Club has reached 106 members of its 250 members initial target; The P2 Support Coach Appeal 56 supporters of its 100 supporters initial target; The Injectors Club launched in June has already recruited 14 members of its 50 members initial target; and The Cylinder Manufacturing Club only launched in July has already recruited 26 members of its 250 members initial target
• Our Dedicated Donation scheme has raised over £440,000
• The Motion Club has passed its initial target of 175 members and will remain open until the final heavy motion is delivered; The Pony (Truck) Club has already passed its 20 members initial target with 32 members signed up, enabling the funding of certification costs; and The Turbogen Club has reached its initial target of 40 members
• The Founders Club had a target of 100 members but thanks to the enthusiasm of our supporters we recruited over 360 members; The Mikado Club reached its extended target of 200 members to fund the wheeling of the engine and tender; and The Cylinder Club reached its initial target of 100 members to fund the redesign phase of the cylinder block.

Altogether this means that over £4m has been spent and more than £4m raised of the estimated £6m required to complete No. 2007 Prince of Wales within the next two years, if Gift Aid is included.

Supporters can become a P2 Covenantor (regular donor) from as little as £2.50 per week by going to the Trust’s new online donations pages at www.p2steam.com/support/regular-donations, emailing enquiries@p2steam.com or calling 01325 460163.

Mark Allatt, Trustee, The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, commented, “Having already built one steam locomotive - No. 60163 Tornado - from scratch, the levels of support and interest that have been generated towards our new Gresley class P2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales have been nothing short of sensational.

“Over the past eight years, the project to build Britain’s most powerful steam locomotive has spent more than £4m on design & construction and raised over £4m of the estimated £6m required to complete No. 2007 within the next two years – and, in spite of the impact of COVID-19, completion is now within sight. Coincidentally the last of the former Gresley class P2s, No. 2002 Earl Marischal which had been rebuilt as a Thompson class A2/2, was scrapped 60 years ago in July 1961 in its final identity as No. 60502.

“The ‘P2 for a price of a pint of beer a week’ covenant (regular donation) scheme has recruited it 1,000^th on-going supporter meaning that it is now on-track to raise over £250,000 per year, having raised almost £2m to-date. If you would like to see a new Gresley class P2 sooner rather than later, I would encourage potential supporters to get on-board.”

Steve Davies MBE presses the button to start machining the first cylinder block component for No. 2007 Prince of Wales at Howco Group Plc, Irvine - A1SLT