MAJOR STEP FORWARD AS BOILER SUPPLIER CHOSEN FOR NEW STEAM LOCOMOTIVE
Contract to redesign boiler of No. 60163 Tornado to meet 21st Century requirements agreed
The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, the registered charity that is building the first new mainline steam locomotive in Britain for over 40 years, today announced that it has chosen Dampflokwerk Meiningen (Steam Locomotive Works Meiningen), a workshop of the Deutsche Bahn (the German Federal Railway) and through its subsidiary DB
Fahrzeuginstandhaltung GmbH (DB Rolling Stock Maintenance Company), as the supplier for the boiler and associated equipment for the new locomotive. This decision comes as the culmination of almost three years of exhaustive discussions with a number of possible suppliers in the UK and continental Europe as well as with the authorities on certification and quality matters.
The A1 Trust is building Peppercorn Class A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado at its Darlington Locomotive Works and when complete it will be used on charter trains operating on Network Rail. Significant progress has been made on the construction of Tornado, with over £1m raised to-date through deeds of covenant and commercial sponsorship.
Mark Allatt, chairman of The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust commented: “The boiler is the single most expensive component of Tornado left to manufacture and the decision to select DB Meiningen as our supplier marks a major step forward in the construction programme and one for which our many supporters have been awaiting for some
time. Whilst we are disappointed that no UK supplier could meet the requirements of our various certification authorities and ourselves, we are confident that DB Meiningen will deliver a first class boiler.
“We are now looking to railway enthusiasts throughout the country to help us complete Tornado through taking part in our covenant scheme and/or our £500,000 bond issue.”
Andrew Dow, Commercial Director of The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, and a former head of the National Railway Museum, added that: “As a result of our discussions with many possible suppliers and the certification authorities
we are confident that DB Meiningen is the best choice for the Trust and we look forward to working with them in the coming months as the construction of the boiler progresses. The first contract issued will be to redesign the original LNER Diagram 118 boiler to incorporate modern materials, welded construction and a steel rather than copper firebox. This is expected to be completed early in the New Year, when, after design approval by the certification
authorities and subject to the funds being available, we will issue the contract to manufacture the boiler.
“Dampflokwerk Meiningen is one of the few locomotive works to have significant recent experience of boiler manufacture for main line locomotives. Recent work includes new boilers for a German class 42 2-10-0 owned by the Luxemburg Government and a new boiler for a Montreal-built 2-8-0 owned by Belgian National Railways. Many other boilers have been built in recent years, and several are new welded versions of old riveted designs. This
experience is precisely applicable to the Trust's requirements.”
Herr Jürgen Eichhorn, Deputy Works Manager, Dampflokwerk Meiningen, commented: “After nearly three years of negotiation we are delighted and feel very honoured to have been selected as the supplier of the new boiler for The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, in the year of our 90th anniversary. We feel this might be a significant step into the British market which we consider to be most important for us in the future. We are now expecting the initial order for the design work and we are all looking forward to a pleasant business relationship.”