IT's full steam ahead for an ambitious project to build the first steam locomotive in Doncaster for more than half a century.
A team of dedicated enthusiasts are planning to raise up to £10 million to recreate a famous engine designed at the Plant for the old LNER by Sir Nigel Gresley in the 1930s.
Cock o' the North - numbered 2001 - was the first of the powerful new class of loco built for the Edinburgh to Aberdeen route with its steep gradients and only six were made, none of which has survived.
But the Doncaster P2 Locomotive Trust is determined to have one running on the rails again within the next decade and insist it will be constructed in Doncaster - unlike the A1 Tornado which ended up being built in Darlington.
They are encouraging Doncaster people to get on board by making donations to the project, which supporters see as a possible springboard for a major railway heritage attraction in the borough.
The P2 Trust is asking Doncaster Council to help them find suitable premises for the building of the loco and the Mayor has promised his full backing.
They have already placed an £8,000 order for the steel to create the mainframe of the loco.
Cock o' the North was originally built in 1934 with traditional styling at the front end but when it was refurbished four years later the Plant engineers incorporated the new streamline design already seen on the world-famous Mallard, which some steam enthusiasts claim made it "the most beautiful steam locomotive ever built".
The P2 trust has also paid £5,000 for copies of the original blueprints from the National Railway Museum and are having the dimensions converted from imperial to metric so construction can get underway as soon as possible.
Spokesman Mick Cooper said: "One of our over-riding principles is that this locomotive will be built in Doncaster - and nowhere else.
"The Tornado scheme was launched to a great fanfare of publicity in Doncaster but in the end it went to Darlington and we don't intend to repeat that.
"We are hoping to get assistance from Doncaster Council to find a suitable site to build it here in Doncaster.
"We are only at the early stages yet and this could be a project taking five to 10 years.
"But there are lots of funding sources available and this will become a national project with support from people all over the country.
"We want the building of Cock o' the North to be a living exhibit so people and school parties can visit the site to see it from the start of construction before it starts steaming across the country."
Mr Cooper says the cost of the engine could be anything from £5 million to £10 million but he is confident Doncaster still has the railway engineering skills base to complete it.
"There are a lot of people in Doncaster who worked on steam engines when they were younger and I'm sure they will want to be involved in such an exciting project.
"Obviously we will need volunteers to help keep the costs down."
The mainframe steel is already on order from Scunthorpe because the price of the metal is expected to go up this year.
Peter Davies, Mayor of Doncaster, said: "This is an exciting project which has my full backing.
"Doncaster is the most famous railway town in the world and has built many fine locomotives such as Flying Scotsman and Mallard, which is still the fastest steam engine on the planet.
"I hope that Cock o' the North will stimulate further interest in our rich railway heritage for visitors."
Cock o' the North - numbered 2001 - was the first of the powerful new class of loco built for the Edinburgh to Aberdeen route with its steep gradients and only six were made, none of which has survived.
But the Doncaster P2 Locomotive Trust is determined to have one running on the rails again within the next decade and insist it will be constructed in Doncaster - unlike the A1 Tornado which ended up being built in Darlington.
They are encouraging Doncaster people to get on board by making donations to the project, which supporters see as a possible springboard for a major railway heritage attraction in the borough.
The P2 Trust is asking Doncaster Council to help them find suitable premises for the building of the loco and the Mayor has promised his full backing.
They have already placed an £8,000 order for the steel to create the mainframe of the loco.
Cock o' the North was originally built in 1934 with traditional styling at the front end but when it was refurbished four years later the Plant engineers incorporated the new streamline design already seen on the world-famous Mallard, which some steam enthusiasts claim made it "the most beautiful steam locomotive ever built".
The P2 trust has also paid £5,000 for copies of the original blueprints from the National Railway Museum and are having the dimensions converted from imperial to metric so construction can get underway as soon as possible.
Spokesman Mick Cooper said: "One of our over-riding principles is that this locomotive will be built in Doncaster - and nowhere else.
"The Tornado scheme was launched to a great fanfare of publicity in Doncaster but in the end it went to Darlington and we don't intend to repeat that.
"We are hoping to get assistance from Doncaster Council to find a suitable site to build it here in Doncaster.
"We are only at the early stages yet and this could be a project taking five to 10 years.
"But there are lots of funding sources available and this will become a national project with support from people all over the country.
"We want the building of Cock o' the North to be a living exhibit so people and school parties can visit the site to see it from the start of construction before it starts steaming across the country."
Mr Cooper says the cost of the engine could be anything from £5 million to £10 million but he is confident Doncaster still has the railway engineering skills base to complete it.
"There are a lot of people in Doncaster who worked on steam engines when they were younger and I'm sure they will want to be involved in such an exciting project.
"Obviously we will need volunteers to help keep the costs down."
The mainframe steel is already on order from Scunthorpe because the price of the metal is expected to go up this year.
Peter Davies, Mayor of Doncaster, said: "This is an exciting project which has my full backing.
"Doncaster is the most famous railway town in the world and has built many fine locomotives such as Flying Scotsman and Mallard, which is still the fastest steam engine on the planet.
"I hope that Cock o' the North will stimulate further interest in our rich railway heritage for visitors."
A4 styling or original build – that is the question! Nice to see the Mayor of Doncaster has no idea of the difference between an engine and a steam locomotive. I’d love to see a steam loco built to modern technology to see if one could beat 4468/22/60022’s record of 126mph
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