Project leadership, techniques and organization The chairman of the T1 Trust is Bradford Noble, with Scott McGill the chief mechanical officer, Wes Camp the director of operations, and Jason Johnson the general manager. Other UK-based organizations that are helping or working with the T1 Trust include the
BR Class 8 Steam Locomotive Trust, the Caprotti Black 5 Limited and the
P2 Steam Locomotive Company.
Aluminum components The cab of the locomotive is of aluminum construction. This is not a new feature, as the cabs of the previous T1s were also made of aluminum, which was done to reduce weight. The streamlining of the locomotive, like the cab, also consists of aluminum construction. On May 1, 2025 the Trust announced that it was now complete. This was the most complicated component and described as the "lynchpin" of the entire locomotive as everything bolts to it: the boiler bolts to it and the wheel cannon boxes come up into the pedestal jaws. The 5550 frame is designed to have a buff strength exceeding FRA requirements for durability and running at high speed on 4 cylinders.
Boiler On January 26, 2018, the T1 Trust announced it had ordered the first and second courses of the
massive boiler. The courses were the largest parts of PRR 5550 ordered at that point. The design of 5550's boiler was handled by the T1 Trust's boiler engineering team, led by Wolf Fengler. Others working on the design of the boiler included Trust members Gary Bensman, Dave Griner, Scott McGill and Jason Johnson. The team re-engineered the T1 boiler and
firebox design to exceed current ASME standards and codes. On June 15, 2018, the third boiler course was completed and welded to the first two. In 2020, the full boiler was completed and welded together. The smokebox, smokebox streamlining, and combustion chamber have also been completed. These components were joined along with the prow by the end of 2020. In May 2025 the Trust announced that final assembly of 5550 will begin in 2026 when the boiler is joined to the frame at a newly-constructed restoration shop at the
Dennison Railroad Depot Museum in Dennison, Ohio.
Tender On August 7, 2017, the T1 Trust purchased the sole surviving "Coast to Coast" 16-wheeled tender from the
Western New York Railway Historical Society for eventual use on PRR 5550. According to the Trust, the purchase of said tender reduces the overall cost of the project by at least $3,000,000 US. Prior to the sale, the Historical Society planned to display the tender behind PRR 4483, an
I1sa class 2-10-0 locomotive. Currently, the tender sits in
North Collins, New York. The Trust agreed to help restore the tender currently paired with the Historical Society's I1sa as part of the M1 tender purchase agreement. The Trust plans to perform a mandatory test of the tender's brake system, restore the brake systems, replace the oil in the roller bearings, and move the tender to
Hamburg, New York for repainting and final restoration. To help fund the tender restoration, the Trust has created a separate donation fund for this task and will display the names of all donors who pledge $500 or higher to the fund on a bronze plaque placed upon the tender itself. The total cost of the tender restoration is estimated to be more than $50,000. On October 5, 2017, an automatic coal stoker was donated to the Trust. The motor, coal crusher, gearbox, stoker trough, and reversing valve were donated by Gary Bensman and Warren Lathom. ==Anticipated operation==