In 2012, the charitable trust was set up and the project was launched at the NRM festival in the summer. The great age of twentieth century LNWR express travel was a huge gap in the preservation scene which they were anxious to fill. The trust was keen to have the pre first world war 4-4-0 as part of the regular main line scene. The late Paul Hibberd had been trying to promote interest in such a project and by pure chance stumbled across an old railway magazine which asked anybody interested to make contact with Bruce Nixon. 

"Our aim is to make good this gap in the steam locomotive heritage and create a new build LNWR George the Fifth for use on heritage railways and mainlines. An engine of this size and power is ideal for the permanent way and the requirements of most heritage lines yet powerful enough for mainline excursions, and as the sole representative of a 20th century LNWR express locomotive, would present a fascinating and potentially popular drawcard and represent a slice of rail travel at its zenith."