In the early 1930s, the LNER's Edinburgh-Aberdeen line saw some extremely heavy passenger trains on a daily basis, and no single locomotive could handle the load on the steeply-graded route. Double-heading of the latest pacific designs was not permitted, so even the most prestigious trains were hauled by pairs of outdated locomotives. In 1932, Herbert Nigel Gresley began to develop a design for a new express passenger locomotive suitable for the route that could handle the heavy trains single-handed. The result was the 'P2' class, with an eight-coupled chassis that would give far greater adhesion than a pacific type. Even before the final stages of design were complete, two prototype locomotives were ordered in 1933; this was later reduced to just a single example and would become 2001 Cock o' the North when it emerged from Doncaster works.
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