Major Sponsorship Deal Announced for the Tender for 'The Unknown Warrior'

The LMS-Patriot Company, the charitable project which is constructing new build LMS Patriot 4-6-0 ‘The Unknown Warrior', is delighted to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Rowlescourt Engineering Ltd. of Alfreton, Derbyshire who will be refurbishing the frames and building a new tank for the ‘Fowler' tender for ‘The Unknown Warrior'. The extremely generous terms of this agreement will require the project to pay only for the materials, estimated at around £10,000 and Rowlescourt Engineering will provide all the labour required for the construction of the tender, for which most parts including refurbished wheelsets and springs already exist. This will save the project around £40,000 and will speed up construction of ‘The Unknown Warrior' significantly as it will allow three workstreams to operate simultaneously - the boiler at L&NWR Heritage at Crewe, the locomotive frames at Llangollen and the tender at Alfreton. Target completion date of the tender is August 2016, though it is hoped that this might come forward a little as the project progresses.

Rowlescourt is a small engineering firm based in North Derbyshire which has spent over 30 years in the design and supply of safety critical parts to Network Rail and their major sub-contractors.  

David Bradshaw, LMS-Patriot Company Chairman said, "Rowlescourt Engineering is the ideal partner for rebuilding our tender as its strength in the fabrication of safety critical parts for the railway industry is renowned. The rebuilding of the tender is another major step towards completing ‘The Unknown Warrior' to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Armistice in 2018."

Mark Knezevic, Works Director of Rowlescourt Engineering said, "We are delighted to be associated with the building of the iconic ‘Patriot' class locomotive ‘The Unknown Warrior' which was originally designed just down the road in Derby. Rowlescourt Engineering has a longstanding association with the railway industry and we are proud to be able to offer our support to the LMS-Patriot Company."

All existing components will be delivered to Rowlescourt Engineering during early September and work is expected to begin on the refurbishment of the frames immediately. The tender will be modified slightly with an increased capacity water tank to enable around 4,000 gallons of water to be carried, and will have the necessary modifications added for the equipment needed for mainline running. The distinctive feature of the Fowler tender, being narrower than the 7'10 ½" ‘Patriot' cab, will be retained. 

A separate 'Tenner for the Tender' appeal has been launched for steel plate, which is expected to cost around £10,000, as we are currently concentrating our efforts on completing the rolling chassis and progressing the boiler. Donations can be made through our JustGiving account.

More information about Rowlescourt Engineering can be found at: www.rowlescourt.co.uk