P2 Locomotive Company and related matters

Not a new newbuild but one that after some consideration seems to be moving from the virtual world to the real one.
Heres a thread for the posting of relevant news relating to this incredible locomotive where one and all can bicker about its right to exist and the wrongness of its shape/colour/name/ number/ valvegear/ boiler/exhaust... etc

 

Is this for the a4-wedged one?

http://www.cockothenorth.co.uk/

 

Whilst not a member of said organisation i can suggest thet the answer to that would be along the lines of ' Get thee behind me Satan...',
no, its the other one.
Although subject to an extensive feasability study the fact that it doesnt even have its own website clearly indicates its all whimsy...

 

No FB page & no copper boiler either, eh?

You just can't get the projects these days...

 

So there 3 now? A1SLT / DP2LT / P2 Co ?

 

The P2LCo. is the A1ST's new project, but is a separate entity for people who wish to financially support one but not the other.

 

Can't wait to sign up for this one.

 

The icing on the cake for me......a beautiful looking locomotive to my mind.........

 

Agreed. 2001 as built is the only loco that's better looking than an A4 IMO.

 

Think I've got to agree.......hope I'm still alive when it's finished.........

 

For a taster go and see the Belgian Class 1 Pacific. Looks a lot like 2001 after the auxiliary deflectors were fitted.

 

Is the webpage especially wide for everyone?

 

So if I've got this right, there are two projects:

(*) Doncaster P2 Locomotive Trust, aiming to build one with the A4-style front end.
(*) The P2 Loco Co (an offshoot of the A1 Steam Trust) aiming to build one (with original front end?)

Is that right?

Must admit, whatever the operational effectiveness of the different shapes, I prefer the original look to the pseudo-A4 look...

Tom

 

Correct.

 

Certainly be interesting to see an original style P2 in the 2-8-2 form. I say that as there can be few around who can remember the original engines in service as 2-8-2s pre-war. And why not as there are two "new" builds have one in the original 2001 style with Caprotti Poppet valve gear and the other with the A4 style nose with the conventional cylinders and valve gear.

 

Yes although if I remember rightly the Doncaster group have been around since the mid 90's.

I agree that the P2 style as used on 2001 and 2002 is the better looking design. One of the best looking locos ever built in my opinion. Can't wait for the Hornby model to come out later this year/early next year.

 

Indeed I too seem to recall the "other" Doncaster based group surfaced around the same time as the A1 Trust. Though like many over the years it just seemed to disappear into oblivion. Though it has rather been in hibernation rather than going extinct like so many others. Just look at the group who were going to have a North Eastern Class V[?] LNER C7 up and running in time for the Olympics, here we are just over a year after and no Atlantic.

 

Managed to dig out a photo...some resemblance......but the P2 will take some beating........to my mind it may cause an even greater sensation than Tornado...........

 

I'm thinking just because they can, does that mean they should?
New build steam is to my way of thinking a robust solution to the potential problem of metal fatigue rendering many existing historic engines unusable in the future.
Yes the P2 was a magnificent beast and to see one for real (especially for an NE/LNER fan like me) would be a miraculous sight. But the class was limited where it could go. Remember it was built for a specific job.
I love Tornado, I had a tear in my eye when I first saw it pull into Newcastle central, a sight I never thought I'd ever see. It's a lovely thing and very practical....at the moment.
But maybe that's the biggest size engine that should be considered practical.
To elaborate, how feasible is it to build many more enormous main line engines? How far into the future will a sizeable volume of steam hauled trains be allowed on the main lines justifying leviathans like the P2? Surely the long term future of steam has to lie in preserved lines. Wouldn't it be more practical to new-build medium sized engines that will have a more assured running future on such smaller preserved lines? I worry that a £5 million P2 running on heritage branch lines in the future could turn out to be a bit like using a sledge hammer to smash an egg. Or if you prefer like seeing a tyrannosaurus rex rampaging round an enclosure in a zoo.
Of course I realise that the potential P2 can be built from many of the same design parts as the A1, and given the experience the A1ST people have it would look to be a much more streamlined build (pardon the pun). But we have to weigh these advantages against the longer term future of heavy main line steam.
Again, just because they can, does that mean they should?

 

I'm really looking forward to seeing a living P2. I have to say though, that having read up about the Lentz valvegear as used on 2001 (I also understand the P2 Group intend to use Caprotti gear on the new build), and the various issues experienced by 71000, that building a Walschaerts-geared loco. would be a safer bet in the long-run. Earl Marischal, on test, was the more controllable of the first two P2s, and I would have thought that fettling the valve settings on a conventionally-geared loco. would be a lot easier, especially as the Walschaerts gear produced by the A1 team has given them good practical experience in this area.
Just my thoughts.

Richard.