Putting the ‘County’ in the frame with the CCT Founders Club

THE launch of the Churchward County Trust Founders Club back in February has proved to be very encouraging, with the idea of re-creating one of Churchward’s high-stepping 4-4-0s seeming to catch the imagination. In just three months our Founders Club membership has provided the funding to have the main frame plates cut and machined. Final design work is now underway and we hope that the order can be placed with TATA Steel before the middle of the year.

While cutting the frame plates for County of Montgomery  will mark a significant milestone in this still young project, it will only be the start of the journey. By joining the Founders Club you can help us build on this early momentum and not only complete the erection of the main frames, but pay for the manufacture, machining and fitting of the extension frames. When these are finished County of Montgomery will truly exist as a locomotive.

Membership of the Founders Club is set at £1,000 (payable in one lump sum or in eight payments of £125 by Standing Order), and comes with a string of incentives including:

– A seat on No. 3840’s first train
– The first choice of new components to sponsor
– Certificate of Founders Club membership
– A footplate trip on No. 3840
– A signed limited edition print of No. 3840 by artist Jonathan Clay
– Your name on Roll of Honour
– Life Membership of the CCT

Additionally, the names of all Founders Club members will have their names put into a ballot; the winner being invited to take an active part in the naming and dedication of No. 3840 upon the locomotive’s completion. The target is to attract 100 Founders during 2018, after which the club will close to new members.

With your support we can right an historic wrong and return a ‘County’ 4-4-0 to steam. A membership form can be downloaded on the ‘Support Us’ page.

Thank you.

Lot 184 – the bottom end of the final 1911/12 batch of ‘Counties’ featuring Harold Holcroft’s design improvements and the ‘Court’ pattern cylinders with the centre line in line with the driving wheel centres. GREAT WESTERN TRUST