Highly prototypical, as the first two were effectively test beds which evolved into the final interior and exterior form of the six in class (and even then they had some significant differences within class). It's got OVS Bulleid's characteristic modus operandi fingerprints all over it. If there is one thing that surprises me about the P2 adventure, it is that Bulleid didn't ask for a loan of one to try on the LSWR route while scheming for his own big engines.Atso wrote:Goodness me, Cock O' the North has only been out a week or two and already people are chopping it up...
Considering the success of the 2-8-2 format in North America and both France and Germany, it is something of a pity that there was no further development once Gresley had died. I have seen it suggested that the instant success of the V2 design effectively killed all appetite for going on with 2-8-2s. Possibly they were just too much of a good thing in a UK operational context?