Q — Is this fundraising and work really necessary?
A — Yes. The trustees want the loco to be safe to operate. So we need to meet appropriate current legal, engineering, and safety standards. Heritage railways require locomotives to meet such standards before they can be permitted to operate. For existing locomotive classes, much of the relevant design and engineering information already exists. LMS10000 is different. It is a unique locomotive design: a recreation of the D16/1, incorporating a Class 58 underframe and a combination of historical and newly manufactured components. As a result, the necessary design, assessment and acceptance work has to be undertaken for LMS10000.
Q — Couldn't this certification work have been done years ago?
A — Not sensibly. A considerable amount of time has been spent sourcing and securing the components needed to recreate LMS10000. Until those key components were identified and secured, undertaking detailed design and acceptance work would have carried a significant risk of having to repeat it later if components or their specifications changed.
Now that the project has reached the point where the major components and the construction approach are becoming established, the detailed design and acceptance process can properly move forward.
Q — Why are you raising the money now? Can't it wait?
A — It cannot be left until after construction has begun. The design and approval process needs to establish the requirements that the finished locomotive must meet. That information is fundamental to the construction programme.
In simple terms, we need an accepted design to build from.
And, of course, we all want to see the locomotive built. Starting this work now is what allows us to move from years of preparation towards physical construction.
Q — Who is involved in the work?
A — We are working with specialist railway engineering organisations. TÜV is being engaged to undertake risk analysis and associated assurance work, while Mott MacDonald is undertaking CAD and engineering design work. This will provide the technical information needed for areas including gauging analysis, structural performance and other assessments required as part of the design acceptance process.
Their involvement gives us access to recognised professional expertise as we take LMS10000 through this important stage.
Q — How long will this take? When can I expect to see LMS10000 run?
A — Our aspiration is to see LMS10000 running within ten years. We now have a detailed plan which could see the locomotive completed in around five years if funding were not a constraint.
The five-year figure is therefore our construction target, rather than a promise of when the locomotive will enter service. The overall timescale will depend upon the success of fundraising, the progress of design and acceptance, and the inevitable challenges that come with breaking new ground on a complex and unique project.
The important thing is that we now have a clear plan and a route towards completion.
The question is no longer whether we have a plan to build LMS10000. We do. The challenge now is giving that plan the resources it needs to become reality.
Q — Does the cost include the cost of building LMS10000?
A — No. Construction is a separate stage of the project, and will require further funding. Our intention is to raise the money for construction as the design and acceptance work progresses, allowing us to move forward without unnecessary delay.
