The A1 Locomotive Trust is to hold its second road show at the Railway Enthusiasts' Club, 103 Hawley Lane, Farnborough, Hants on Tuesday 31st March at 19:30hrs. The project is breaking new ground in the field of steamlocomotive preservation with the construction of an entirely new main line steam locomotive - the first for over 30 years - hopefully by 1995.
Mark Allatt, co-ordinator of the second Farnborough road show said, “It is now not a matter of if, but when, No. 60163 Tornado is built. We have now moved from the initial organisational stage into the pre-construction stage and have already bought Flying Scotsman's spare tender to form the basis of our own. Several members have been working round the clock at the National Railway Museum in York to copy and index the 700 original drawings that will be needed to build Tornado. We had such a good response at the Railway Enthusiasts' Club last September that we are holding a second event to bring people up-to-date with the project. Anyone who is interested is most welcome.
He continued, “The money to build the locomotive is being raised by many people giving a little on a regular basis - £1.25 a week, less than a pint of beer.”
During the evening road show there will be a slide show on the A1s, a progress report and an opportunity for questions and answers. The speakers will include David Elliott, A1 Locomotive Trust contracts adviser. Enthusiasts and supporters of the project are most welcome, as are those who are unaware of the project and its aims.