P2 Locomotive Company and related matters

I’ll repeat what I said in an earlier post.

From the Trust’s own website:

From the start, three vital decisions were made. Funding would be a priority; trustees would be professionals in relevant fields so that their work for the Trust would be to the highest standard; and, because of reasons of certification and the nature of the work being undertaken, the overwhelming majority of the manufacture of the locomotive would be undertaken by the engineering industry.

The organisation was based around four principles:

1. It would have to be run using the best business practices by people experienced in the appropriate areas.
2. The funding method would have to be simple, and capable of being understood and afforded by virtually anyone.
3. Because of the enormity of the task, there would have to be a single aim to focus on, the project’s mission statement – “The building and operation of an A1” – against which all proposed actions would be judged.
4. The rules of the organisation would prohibit cliques and any form of élitism. Everyone would achieve recognition based on effort rather than size of cheque book. This would enable all efforts to go into the building of the ‘A1’.

A nationwide management team was put together who freely give considerable amounts of time and expertise. The Trust has secured a reputation for being supported by a wide range of specialists, experts and enthusiasts from all walks of life. It is this team and the principles established constructing Tornado that are behind the building of No. 2007 Prince of Wales.


This is clearly no longer the case. The whole board has been churned in recent years with Paul Bruce (2023), Huw Parker (2023), Graeme Bunker-James (2023), Mark Allatt (2021) and David Elliott (2020) all leaving since the new chairman was installed and not all communicated to supporters.


There is now no professional project management, accounting, legal, company secretarial, marketing, fundraising or operations experience on the board of trustees. If you compare that to previous incarnations of the board under the two previous chairmen it is a shadow of its former self. They certainly know how to spend money but no longer have a clue how to raise it.

Maybe this is at the heart of the Trust’s current and seemingly intractable problems? They are running out of road and clearly don’t have a clue as to how to turn this slow motion car crash around. It’s time for change at the top.

 

There could be quite a number of people with project team management experience coming on to the jobs market next week. Would one of them fit the bill?

 

That’s the last thing any railway project needs

 

Experience yes, ability..... hmmm

 

I read that yet again another delay to the first new boiler has been sneaked out without any acknowledgment that it is a further delay. Now scheduled in the Autumn. To quote from their own press release when the order was announced, "The first new boiler – to be fitted to No. 60163 Tornado during its next overhaul – will be delivered in September 2020 with the second – to be fitted to No. 2007 Prince of Wales – scheduled to be delivered in July 2021."

 

Where is this latest news please ?

 

We seem to have forgotten the small matter of a pandemic here.

 

I understand that’s by no means the only factor here, but not all are within the Trust’s control.

 

That was 3 years ago

 

Yes, but we don't know how much delay can be attributed to what happened with pandemic handling in Meiningen and Germany as a whole and the knock-on effects. Plus any fundraising will have/has been severely impacted - I had zero income for over six months in 2020 as my line of work totally disappeared, I emptied my bank accounts and ran my credit card to its limit. Others became more desperate than me. Add in subsequent political issues both home and abroad and there's real problems out there.

 

I hear what you are saying and of course this had an impact, but we are talking about a four year delay to the first new boiler which was due to take 15 months from signing and a yet to be revealed delay to the second new boiler which is also already three years late. Rather than be transparent with supporters, they have again over promised and under delivered with death by a thousand cuts postponement announcements as with Tornado's overhaul. I've been a Covenantor since the very early days with Tornado and also have supported almost every fundraising club until I no longer trusted the new regime to spend my hard earned cash wisely.

Up until four or so years ago, the Trust had a very clear and well implemented fundraising strategy and plan which is now no longer the case. They are no longer driving the agenda in the media nor asking for funds in the right way from long suffering supporters and therefore their donations are of course down.

I think the problem is much closer to home than Germany even though I have yet to see any evidence, other than components which were produced in parallel with the first new boiler, that the second new boiler even exists.

 

Starting this Saturday, you can join a brand new tour of Darlington Locomotive Works! Come and marvel up-close at the construction of the P2 Class No.2007 Prince of Wales locomotive!

These new tours take place at 11am and 1pm every first and third Saturday of every month, and are free of charge.

If you are visiting Hopetown and wish to join the tour, head to the Viewing Gallery 5 minutes before each tour start time.

Image courtesy of The A1 Steam Locomotive Association:

 

I notice that a new cannon box needs to be cast for the pony truck. I have been puzzled for some time about the delay with the pony truck. It was manufactured several years ago, quite early in the P2 construction. It has resurfaced at various times with mention of remedial treatment/finishing off, without ever seeming to reach a conclusion. Now we see the reason why.

This is likely to be a considerable setback for the P2 project. The pony truck needs to be completed and in place before the monobloc can be fitted to the frames. Both of these procedures need to be carried out before there can be any thought of installing the boiler. Before any of this can happen, I expect to see the formation of another "club" to pay for the new cannon box. Ever receding horizons . . .

 

Sorry am i missing something ? , I am not seeing a reason why, and a cannon box is not the most complex animal, even less so if its the split type.
Dont undertand why it has to in place before the Monoblock is fitted to the frames either, not saying you are wrong, just that that is counter intuitive, and if i understand it there is still a lot of other stuff that needs sorting with the monobloc before that can happen, be certainly easier to test the valve gear on the block before its fitted.
Notice from the above phot. that one of the driving wheel sets is also minus its cannon box... but as there is increasing speculation that the boiler for this loco ( ie no 3) is actually just a collection of bent plates at this stage there are perhaps bigger things to worry about...

 

22nd September update :-

• Cylinders Update •
‘The Monobloc Club’ was short of its target on delivery of the cylinders this time last year, and consequently there are not allocated funds for its fitment. Before progress can be made in this space, we must raise an additional £30,000 specifically for the installation, which will follow that of the pony truck and precede fitting the boiler.

19th September update

• Pony Truck Update •
The pony truck has left Darlington Locomotive Works and is now at local contractor, Daniela Works, for engineering review and final works. Once complete, the pony truck will be fitted at the front of the frames. This then paves the way for the fitment of the monobloc, which sits above.

 

Agreed. I find it difficult to believe that, if a pony truck needed to be removed for routine repairs, it would first be necessary to dismantle the valve gear and remove the cylinder block, and prior to this the boiler would need to be lifted?

If that's the case someone in the Drawing Office had really screwed up.

 

The cylinder blocks have to be in place on any steam loco before any wheels are fitted.

 

Eh.....?

 

They usually were but I can't see an absolute necessity, depending on the class. The engine was dropped on to its wheels fairly late on as these tended to make other fittings difficult to access. But a pair of outside cylinders could be fitted with the wheels in place.

 

I looked at the P2 3 weeks ago and it appears to me that the monoblock cylinders must be lowered in and sit in cut outs in the top of the frames. Access to the pony truck will certainly be more difficult when the cylinders are fitted.

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