What a summer! Clocking up an impressive 8,859 miles in 2025, it's hard to know where to begin, but what could be better than where we left off in the last TCC at the Nene Valley Railway. Our team encountered a short period of respite between duties whilst Tornado was stabled at Wansford, a period which allowed some light running maintenance. This period, however, was not to become the 'norm' for the summer operating season, with a busy, exciting, and varied programme ahead for us.

We started off with a movement to work from St. Phillips Marsh depot in Bristol, for 'The Royal Duchy', Bristol Temple Meads to Par return working, which was a rare opportunity to see Tornado return to Cornwall. Following the passenger workings, empty coaching stock (ECS) movements took place through to Southall, and then onwards to Carnforth. Our next working was to be off Bradford Forster Square on 31^st May, but, alas, due to gauging issues in the area, we joined the train at Hellifield for a spirited run over the Settle and Carlisle route. This route would become familiar stamping ground over the coming weeks, with further operations on 5^th June with 'The Dalesman', and 7^th June with 'The Northern Belle', the first time the locomotive had worked this prestigious train.

Moving south once again, on 14^th June we picked up our workings for 'The Jolly Fisherman' from King’s Cross to Skegness and return. Returning north shortly after, on 26^th June, we visited our second summer seaside destination, with 'The Scarborough Spa Express', after which on 28^th June we once again visited Carlisle, this time routed via the scenic Cumbrian coast route. Whilst our operations team managed to rest for the next week, our engineering team spent their time at Carnforth, undertaking routine running maintenance, notably including some work on the fireman's side injector.

On the 5^th July, we departed Carnforth on an empty stock movement, ready to work our next passenger train on 6^th July, which was from York to Carlisle and return. Returning to Carnforth on the following day, there was once again a brisk turnaround between duties for both locomotive and support crew. Our next train, on the 10^th, 'The Rolex Express', unfortunately encountered a delay on the journey north, due to a fault with the diesel at the rear of the coaching stock. Once the fault was made safe, we continued north, where we once again got to see a Class A1 sat at Glasgow Central ready for the off.  In the Alloa area, whilst travelling through an area with excess lineside vegetation, our support coach No. 21249 picked up severe wheel flats, which meant it could not continue in service.  With our next operation planned in under 48 hours, and the need to still move from Scotland to London, the Carnforth team dispatched a diesel with a stand-in support coach for us to use at next to no notice.  With our arrival in Southall, we had a quick turnaround before working 'The White Rose' on 12^th July. Our team were cleaning at 04:00hrs, doing their best to make Tornado presentable for the duties that waited ahead. Our journey was from King’s Cross to York, returning as far as Peterborough. On arrival at Peterborough, we left the train and stabled once again at the Nene Valley Railway.