Boiler Loan Scheme Launched to Raise Funds for New British Built Boiler for 'The Unknown Warrior'

The LMS-Patriot Company, the charitable project who are building the new Royal British Legion endorsed national memorial engine, has launched a fundraising scheme to complete the all new £477,000 boiler for ‘The Unknown Warrior’. The LMS-Patriot Company is seeking loans from supporters to finance the boiler. Loans will be repaid with an attractive fixed rate 2.5% compound interest rate after 15 years. Interest on loans will start to be repaid from 2020, by which time ‘The Unknown Warrior’will be a revenue earning engine.

The new boiler, which will be of traditional construction, will be assembled at LNWR Heritage at Crewe - the company set up by pop mogul and railway enthusiast Pete Waterman. LNWR Heritage has already assembled the new smokebox for ‘The Unknown Warrior’. This was displayed for the first time during The LMS-Patriot Project Members’ Day, at the Llangollen Railway on 15th June.

David Bradshaw, LMS-Patriot Project chairman said, “We have already secured around £60,000 which has enabled the smokebox to be completed and the copper sheets for the firebox to be ordered, but we now need to raise over £400,000 to build the rest of the boiler. I urge everybody who wants to see ‘The Unknown Warrior’ in steam to come and support us in building the new Crewe built boiler”.

The copper for the firebox was ordered during 2013 after The Project secured a loan from a Member and supporter. This together with additional fundraising through the boiler fundraising scheme, will enable the commencement of the firebox at Crewe during 2014. The whole boiler is expected to be assembled for 2017, if sufficient funds can be raised, enabling ‘The Unknown Warrior’ to be ready toparticipate in the 2018 100th anniversary events which commemorate the signing of the Armistice which brought about the end of the Great War.

Click here to register for the Boiler Fundraising Brochure. Alternatively, please email: lms-patriot@hotmail.co.uk, telephone 01785 244156 or write to: The LMS-Patriot Company Ltd., The Hub, 17 Eastgate Street, Stafford, ST16 2LZ

Click here to download the full press release.

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