The mission of The B17 Steam Locomotive Trust is “To build and operate an LNER Class B17 4-6-0 express passenger steam locomotive to be known as 61673 SPIRIT OF SANDRINGHAM for mainline and heritage railway use.”

The project is managed by both a Strategy and an Engineering plan. The rate of progress will be dependent upon the rate of incoming funds and other variables such as raw material costs and supplier availability which will ultimately govern the pace of achievement.

AIMS

The B17 Steam Locomotive Trust is building an LNER Class B17 4-6-0 express passenger locomotive to be known as 'Spirit of Sandringham', in compliance with Railway Group Standards for operation on the mainline network and heritage railways in this country. Improvements in performance, reliability and maintenance are planned by the careful introduction of design changes to the original technical baseline.

The project aims to capture an era of world class engineering and national pride of "built in Britain", to also provide opportunities for educational and skills training for people in apprenticeships and other schemes associated with engineering, science and manufacturing activities.   

The engine will be capable of operating with either the GE tender or the larger LNER Group Standard tender normally used by B17s, both of which are owned by the trust. Appropriate certification will be progressively obtained in conjunction with the relevant Railway Authorities.