TORNADO REACHED 100,000 MILES SINCE COMPLETION WHILST ON THE NORTH YORKSHIRE MOORS RAILWAY - Milestone passed near Pickering on Sunday 11^th March 2018

We are delighted to announce that the locomotive achieved 100,000 miles in service since completion in 2008 just outside Pickering on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway on Sunday 11^th March 2018 whilst hauling the last train of the day to Grosmont.

Since completion in Darlington in 2008, new Peppercorn class A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado has seen service on the Network Rail main line and heritage railways right across Great Britain. Highlights have included three Royal Trains including the naming by TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall in February 2009; BBC Top Gear ‘Race to the North’ with Jeremy Clarkson on the footplate; ‘The Winton’ train to commemorate the 70^th anniversary on the Kinder Transport; the rescuing of stranded commuters in Kent; the re-opening of the Settle to Carlisle Railway; the first steam locomotive in the UK to achieve 100mph for 50 years; featuring in two BBC documentaries, ‘Absolutely Chuffed: the Men Who Built a Steam Engine’ and ‘Tornado the 100mph Steam Engine’; and starring in PADDINGTON 2 the movie.

Mark Allatt, Trustee, The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, commented, "This summer Tornado is celebrating her 10^th birthday and remains the only new main line steam locomotive to be completed in Britain since 1960 despite over 20 standard gauge new build projects being launched. Tornado’s first 100,000 miles have seen the locomotive cris-cross Great Britain, a testimony to those supporters who stuck with the project over the 18 years that it took to fundraise and build – ‘This locomotive was built and paid for by people who shared a vision and were determined to turn it into reality’.”

Graeme Bunker-James, Operations Director added, “Keeping Tornado on the Network Rail main line is expensive and time consuming and so the Trust is always seeking new supporters and volunteers to come on board. This year will see both the 10^th anniversary of Tornado’s completion and the 100^thanniversary of the RAF’s formation and we will be seeking to mark both milestones in an appropriate manner – watch this space!”

Tornado raises the rafters at Goathland on her way that 100,000^th mile - Alan Weaver