Telegrammed by Our International Correspondent
Exciting news from the kettle fraternity!
You wait for ages and then two come long at once - rival schemes are apparently competing to build a replica of the lost LNER P2 Class loco "Cock O The North".
In the Darlington corner is the A1 Steam Trust, successful builders of the £2.8 million Tornado replica that has recently returned to service after a boiler embarrassment.
Meanwhile, batting for Doncaster is the new P2 Trust, who hope to raise an eye-watering £10 million to make their retro steam dream come true.
Eye wonders if there is a danger that too many cocks may spoil the broth?
UPDATE: This from Chief Superintendent Rand (retired - thank God)...
The story about the two Cocks of the North reminds me of my early days as a constable in the dear old City of Bradford Police.
Police officers then as now wore numbers on their shoulders and that number was also used in correspondence and when identifying oneself in court. Thus, I was PC 45 Rand.
When a lad named Cox joined the force some wag in the Chief Constable's Office allocated him the number 2...
