Doncaster, UK – 21 September 2025: The Gresley Society is delighted to announce that the oldest surviving locomotive to the design of Sir Nigel Gresley successful completed its steam test at the workshops of the North Norfolk Railway (NNR) at Weybourne in mid-August 2025. Gresley class N2 GNR No.1744 was withdrawn from service late in 2018 for an overhaul that has proved to be considerably more extensive and costly than anticipated. This is the next step towards its anticipated return to traffic in Spring 2026.

The overhaul began in 2019 but was impacted by the Covid-19 lockdown and the war in Ukraine which affected both timescales and costs. Additionally, once the locomotive was stripped down, it became evident that far more work was needed than first anticipated. This has meant an extensive programme of both mechanical and boiler work leading to eventual overhaul cost of around £650,000. 

Since arriving at the NNR in mid-December 2024, work completed includes the successful non-destructive testing and examination of the two carbon steel steam pipes that serve from the superheater header to the steam chests, with all historic welds subjected to magnetic particle inspection (MPI) and the pipe wall thickness measured with an ultrasonic thickness device. The two pipes were then clamped together to form a single unit to allow them to be subjected to a hydraulic pressure test to 1.5 times the boilers safe working pressure which equated to 255psi.

All the new No. 17 washout plugs have been procured, and these will now be fitted to the boiler following the successful completion of the steam test. A final hydraulic pressure test of the boiler once the re-assembly of the engine is complete will reset the clock for the boiler’s ten-year boiler certificate. 

The superheater header is currently being prepared for hydraulic testing to 255psi and one of the NNR’s fitters has been carefully preparing all the lubrication pipework and fittings for their fitting to the engine during its reassembly. The new expansion links were delivered on September 2025.

The NNR has generously agreed to initially fund the completion of the overhaul, with the value reimbursed later through operation of the locomotive for a period without charge. However, The Gresley Society still faces a substantial funding shortfall to meet the final overhaul cost and has launched The N2 Overhaul Completion Club to raise the required £100,000 from 100 people each donating £1,000 in up to eight instalments. Special benefits for those supporting the club include:

• Certificate signed by John Cameron (President) and Philip Benham (Chairman)
• Exclusive opportunity to visit No. 1744 under overhaul at the NNR
• Opportunity to buy a ticket (seat already reserved) on one of the first trains hauled by No. 1744
• Exclusive Limited Edition print (100) of No. 1744 in GNR livery by Matthew Cousins (GRA)
• One year’s free membership of The Gresley Society Trust

The Club was launched to Gresley Society members in late November 2024 and has already raised over £30,000 from both members and other supporters. Details of how to join The N2 Overhaul Completion Club can be found at gresley.org.

Philip Benham MBE, Chairman of The Gresley Society, commented: 

“The Gresley Society was created to preserve a working Gresley locomotive, and we owe it to our founders, and for the benefit and education of today’s generation, to maintain that vision. The progress on No. 1744’s overhaul at the North Norfolk Railway is one more step towards the return of Sir Nigel Gresley’s oldest surviving locomotive to traffic in spring 2026 resplendent in its distinctive Great Northern Railway livery.

“However, The Gresley Society is not yet out of the woods financially and launched a major £100,000 financial appeal with The N2 Overhaul Completion Club to fund No. 1744’s return to traffic which has already raised over £30,000. I’d encourage all LNER lovers who want to see the class N2 paired once again with the Midland & Great Northern Society’s unique set of Quad-Art carriages on the North Norfolk Railway to get on board with our appeal!”