LNER Class P2
Encyclopedia
The London and North Eastern Railway
Class P2 was a class of 2-8-2
steam locomotive
s designed by Sir Nigel Gresley
for working heavy express trains over the harsh Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line
. As they were to serve on Scottish expresses, they were given famous names from Scottish lore.
Introduced in 1934, the first locomotive of the class - No.2001 Cock o' the North - was built with Lentz
rotary-cam poppet valve
gear and was tested in France where a modern locomotive-testing facility was available; no such facility existing within the UK at that time. The class (except No. 2005) featured a Kylchap
-type blastpipe / chimney system to aid efficiency, which was designed to take different fittings to allow experimentation with this then new exhaust arrangement.
The second engine of the class No.2002 Earl Marischal was completed with the usual Walschaerts valve gear and proved to be the more efficient engine of the two, the only major deficiency being a softer exhaust that led to a second pair of smoke deflectors
being utilised to clear the smoke away from the driver's view forward.
The production series of a further four engines were completed in 1936 and were all based mechanically upon No.2002. They were all given a wedge-shaped streamlined front end, akin to that on the A4 class
locomotives, which successfully solved the smoke deflection problem, No.2002 being altered to this form in 1936 and No.2001 in 1938.
It was suggested that they were not entirely successful, that their eight-wheel chassis was too rigid for the many sharp curves on the route and that the class was too big for optimum utilisation leading to heavy coal consumption. However, it has also been suggested that Gresley's successor, Edward Thompson
, made these largely unsubstantiated criticisms in order to justify his rebuilding of the entire class into LNER Thompson Class A2/2
pacifics
during 1943/4.
In 2010, the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust
, who were responsible for the construction of 60163 Tornado
, announced plans to hold a feasibility study into building a new P2 class locomotive, which would be numbered as 2007.
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
Class P2 was a class of 2-8-2
2-8-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s designed by Sir Nigel Gresley
Nigel Gresley
Sir Herbert Nigel Gresley was one of Britain's most famous steam locomotive engineers, who rose to become Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and North Eastern Railway . He was the designer of some of the most famous steam locomotives in Britain, including the LNER Class A1 and LNER Class A4...
for working heavy express trains over the harsh Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line
Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line
The Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line is a railway line linking Edinburgh with Aberdeen via the Forth Bridge, the Tay Bridge and Dundee. Also it serves as an extension to the East Coast Main Line and the Cross Country Route...
. As they were to serve on Scottish expresses, they were given famous names from Scottish lore.
Introduced in 1934, the first locomotive of the class - No.2001 Cock o' the North - was built with Lentz
Hugo Lentz
Hugo Lentz was an Austrian mechanical engineer, born in South Africa. He was the inventor of many award winning improvements to the steam engine....
rotary-cam poppet valve
Poppet valve
A poppet valve is a valve consisting of a hole, usually round or oval, and a tapered plug, usually a disk shape on the end of a shaft also called a valve stem. The shaft guides the plug portion by sliding through a valve guide...
gear and was tested in France where a modern locomotive-testing facility was available; no such facility existing within the UK at that time. The class (except No. 2005) featured a Kylchap
Kylchap
The Kylchap steam locomotive steam locomotive exhaust system was designed and patented by the famous French steam engineer André Chapelon, using a second-stage nozzle designed by the Finnish engineer Kyösti Kylälä and known as the Kylälä spreader; thus the name KylChap for this design.The Kylchap...
-type blastpipe / chimney system to aid efficiency, which was designed to take different fittings to allow experimentation with this then new exhaust arrangement.
The second engine of the class No.2002 Earl Marischal was completed with the usual Walschaerts valve gear and proved to be the more efficient engine of the two, the only major deficiency being a softer exhaust that led to a second pair of smoke deflectors
Smoke deflectors
Smoke deflectors are vertical plates attached to the front of a steam locomotive on each side of the smokebox. They are designed to lift smoke away from the locomotive at speed so that the driver has better visibility unimpaired by drifting smoke....
being utilised to clear the smoke away from the driver's view forward.
The production series of a further four engines were completed in 1936 and were all based mechanically upon No.2002. They were all given a wedge-shaped streamlined front end, akin to that on the A4 class
LNER Class A4
The Class A4 is a class of streamlined 4-6-2 steam locomotive, designed by Nigel Gresley for the London and North Eastern Railway in 1935. Their streamlined design gave them high-speed capability as well as making them instantly recognizable, and one of the class, 4468 Mallard, still claims the...
locomotives, which successfully solved the smoke deflection problem, No.2002 being altered to this form in 1936 and No.2001 in 1938.
It was suggested that they were not entirely successful, that their eight-wheel chassis was too rigid for the many sharp curves on the route and that the class was too big for optimum utilisation leading to heavy coal consumption. However, it has also been suggested that Gresley's successor, Edward Thompson
Edward Thompson (engineer)
Edward Thompson was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and North Eastern Railway between 1941 and 1946.- Biography :Edward Thompson was the son of an assistant master at Marlborough College. He was educated at Marlborough before taking the Mechanical Science Tripos at Pembroke College,...
, made these largely unsubstantiated criticisms in order to justify his rebuilding of the entire class into LNER Thompson Class A2/2
LNER Thompson Class A2/2
The London and North Eastern Railway Class A2/2 was a class of 4-6-2 steam locomotives. The A2/2 were former members of Sir Nigel Gresley’s P2 Class of eight-coupled express passenger locomotives. Edward Thompson was appointed on the 28 April 1941 and decided to gain experience by rebuilding the...
pacifics
4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
during 1943/4.
In 2010, the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust
A1 Steam Locomotive Trust
The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust is a Darlington, England based charitable trust formed in 1990 for the primary purpose of completing the next stage of the locomotive heritage movement, the building a new steam locomotive. This project became the construction of 60163 Tornado, carried out by...
, who were responsible for the construction of 60163 Tornado
LNER Peppercorn Class A1 60163 Tornado
60163 Tornado is a main-line steam locomotive built in Darlington, England. Completed in 2008, Tornado was the first such locomotive built in the United Kingdom since Evening Star, the last steam locomotive built by British Railways, in 1960...
, announced plans to hold a feasibility study into building a new P2 class locomotive, which would be numbered as 2007.
Locomotives
- 2001 — Cock o' the NorthGeorge Gordon, 5th Duke of GordonGeorge Gordon, 5th Duke of Gordon GCB, PC , styled Marquess of Huntly until 1827, was a Scottish nobleman, soldier and politician and the last of his illustrious line.-Early life:...
- 2002 — Earl MarischalEarl MarischalThe title of Earl Marischal was created in the peerage of Scotland for William Keith, the Great Marischal of Scotland.The office of "Marischal of Scotland" had been held heritably by the senior member of the Keith family since Hervey de Keith, who held the office of Marischal under Malcolm IV and...
- 2003 — Lord PresidentLord PresidentThe title Lord President may refer to one of several offices:*Lord President of the Council, the presiding officer of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council*Lord President of the Court of Session, the Chief Justice and Lord Justice General of Scotland...
- 2004 — Mons MegMons MegMons Meg is a medieval bombard which can be classed as a supergun, now located at Edinburgh Castle, Scotland. There are conflicting theories about its origins, but it appears from the accounts of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy that it was made to his order around 1449 and sent as a gift 8 years...
- 2005 — Thane of FifeMacduff (thane)Macduff, the Thane of Fife, is a character in William Shakespeare's Macbeth . Macduff plays a pivotal role in the play: he suspects Macbeth of regicide and eventually kills Macbeth in the final act...
- 2006 — Wolf of Badenoch
External links
- http://www.lner.info/locos/P/p2.shtml
- http://www.lner.info/locos/A/a2_2.shtml