Founders - having set an initial target of raising £100,000 (100 people donating £1,000 each) seed funding by May 2014 to give the project a kick-start and get the main frames laid, 215 people are now on-board after only 12 weeks. This will enable rapid progress to be made in the New Year.
Design & certification - contracts are now in place with Delta Rail and Lloyds Register Rail. The former will complete the engineering studies needed to enable No. 2007 to operate on the national network, and the latter is the organisation that will approve the process and principles of construction. Both are critical steps.
Frames - work has continued on the main frames in 3D Solidworks with the Cartazzi hornblocks and additional details of spring gear added to the drawing. Materials have now been specified and an order for the main frames is imminent.
Cylinders & motion - we are now in the final stages of the examination of both the Lentz and British Caprotti options for No. 2007's valve gear. Drawing work has continued on the Caprotti option to work up a design that would fit on the P2. At the same time we are investigating the original Lentz gear and its development by The Franklin Railway Supply Company (a subsidiary of Lima Locomotive Works) of the USA where evidence shows that locomotives worked successfully with infinitely variable cams to the end of steam in the USA.
Darlington Locomotive Works - work continues to prepare the building to receive No. 2007's frames, including further renovation of the interior of this historic Stockton & Darlington Railway carriage works.
In the summer of 2013 much of the machinery in the works was moved for access - David Elliott
At the start of 2014 good progress was being made re-plastering the walls - David Elliott
Sponsorship - we have held a number of meetings with potential sponsors and hope to be making some major announcements in the New Year
Fundraising: the phenomenally successful Founders Club will be open to join until the frames are laid in May 2014. Work is progressing on the main covenanting scheme which will be launched in February.
Roadshows - a series of roadshows in London, York, Darlington, Edinburgh and Aberdeen will be held in March – May next year. Dates and venues to be confirmed shortly.
Research - as part of the design process we are researching the history of the P2s and No. 2001 Cock O'the North in particular. We have already discovered a number of unpublished gems but think that there is a lot more out there. If you have any documents relating to or photographs of P2s we would be delighted to hear from you – even more so if you have first-hand experience of them before they were rebuilt in 1943/44.