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We are delighted to announce that Cleveland Bridge UK Ltd, Darlington-based global leaders in technology based engineering, construction and steel fabrication services, is to assemble the tender tank for No. 2007 Prince of Wales. Cleveland Bridge has agreed to build the new locomotive’s tender tank on very beneficial terms. They will fabricate the tender tank, the construction of which is like a lightweight box girder structure, from weathering steel plate as well as shot blasting and primer-painting the finished structure. The construction of the tender will take an estimated two years, with a break part way through the process for the tender tank base plate to go to the workshop of I D Howitt in Crofton, West Yorkshire to be trial fitted to the tender frames. This is the same process that was used for the tender built for No. 60163 Tornado. The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust has agreed to provide a number of Cleveland Bridge apprentices with the opportunity to assist in building No. 2007 Prince of Wales, providing them with experience in a different engineering environment. Overall, the sponsorship by Cleveland Bridge is significant to the project and enables us to bring forward the construction of the tender by at least 12 months.

Cleveland Bridge apprentices at Darlington Locomotive Works - Cleveland Bridge

Chris Droogan, Managing Director of Cleveland Bridge UK Ltd, commented, “At Cleveland Bridge we are very conscious of our 140 years of heritage, building many of the most iconic structures in the world including the Victoria Falls Bridge, Bosphorus Bridge, Tsing Ma bridge in Hong Kong, Jiangyin Bridge over the Yangtze, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Thames Flood Barrier, Queen Elizabeth II bridge at Dartford and most recently the Forth Replacement Crossing. Engineering Excellence is at the core of everything we do, and are delighted to support The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust in its project to build Britain’s most powerful steam locomotive as they share our commitment to new and higher standards of excellence.” Mark Allatt, P2 Project Director, The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, added, “We are pleased to welcome Darlington-based and world leading Cleveland Bridge as a sponsor of No. 2007 Prince of Wales. Their sponsorship of the construction of No. 2007’s tender and secondment of apprentices to Darlington Locomotive Works to work on the engine, will help the Trust to maintain the progress necessary to complete the new locomotive by 2021. “We are delighted with the level of support that the project to build Britain’s most powerful steam locomotive has received since construction started only three years ago. Thanks to our supporters’ continued generosity, well over £1m has been spent on construction, over £1.4m donated and over £2.4m pledged."