From the MEWS archive, this fine loco in 2.5” gauge was shown at a Guildford exhibition by Peter Gardner. It is a model of the LNER P2 class of 2-8-2 express locomotives which were the largest to run in the UK.

The P2 was designed by Nigel Gresley, influenced by French practice of the day, to haul express trains over the Edinburgh to Aberdeen section of the LNER. First locomotive of the class, No. 2001 Cock o' the North, was introduced in 1934. It was built with Lentz-type] rotary-cam actuated poppet valve-gear  and a double-chimney Kylchap exhaust, each chimney using four nozzle blastpipes.

The boiler barrel was the one used on Gresley Pacifics fitted to a larger firebox. The distinctive front end design was of the same form as the experimental Class W1 locomotive, No. 10000, derived from wind tunnel research. The tender was the standard design used on Gresley Pacifics.

No original members of the class were preserved, having been rebuilt as A2/2 Pacifics. However, two new engines are now being built; one by the P2 Steam Locomotive Company in the original shape (LNER P2 Class 2007 Prince of Wales) as a new member of the class; the other by the Doncaster P2 Locomotive Trust as a replica of No. 2001 Cock o' the North in streamlined condition.