A PROJECT to build Britain's most powerful steam locomotive has moved forward, with the formation of a £600,000 fundraising campaign to pay for its boiler.

The team behind the Tornado, which was built in Darlington and became the first steam locomotive manufactured in the country for decades, has plans to assemble another engine in the town.

Prince of Wales will be a development of the Gresley class P2 2-8-2 Mikado locomotives, which were designed to haul 600-ton trains on the hilly Edinburgh to Aberdeen route.

The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, which built Tornado, is aiming to complete Prince of Wales through it subsidiary company P2 Steam Locomotive, over a seven-year period, with an estimated £5m cost.

Following the success of the Founders Club, which was designed to get to the project to the point of cutting frames for Prince of Wales, which will have the number 2007, the trust has decided to establish the Boiler Club to fund the construction of Prince of Wales’s boiler.

The trust set an initial target for the Founders Club of at least £100,000, but due to the overwhelming generosity of its supporters raised £450,000.

It is the Trust’s aim to leave Prince of Wales debt-free upon completion, so its aim is to raise at least £600,000 for the boiler, from 300 supporters each donating £2,000 to the project in up to 40 payments of £50 by standing order.

In return for this commitment, members of the Boiler Club receive benefits, including:

• The chance to buy a ticket on No. 2007’s first main line train;

• Reasonable access to the engine;

• The chance to join one of the teams building No. 2007;

• First choice of other components to sponsor.

Mark Allatt, chairman, The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, said: “The launch of The Boiler Club marks a significant milestone in the project to build Britain’s most powerful steam locomotive.

"The boiler is the beating heart of a steam locomotive and to keep the construction of No. 2007 Prince of Wales on schedule for completion in 2021, we need to place the order for the boiler in 2015 for delivery in 2018.

For details of how to join the Boiler Club, visit p2steam.com