Arriving on Saturday 28th February with The Auld Reekie Express and departing on Saturday 7th March with The North Briton

Tornado, the first new main line steam locomotive to be built in Britain for almost 50 years, hauled her first train to Scotland on Saturday 28th February 2009, organised by railtour promoter Past-Time Rail. This train, The Auld Reekie Express, was hauled by Tornado from York to Edinburgh’s Waverley station. It was the first time a once-familiar Peppercorn class A1 has been to Scotland for over 40 years. The return journey on Saturday 7th March with The North Briton will be Tornado’s first historic departure from Scotland’s capital.

New Peppercorn class A1 60163 Tornado was named at York station on Thursday 19th February 2009 by TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall before hauling the Royal Train Leeds with the royal couple on-board. The Prince of Wales travelled on the footplate for part of the journey.

The Auld Reekie Express, on Saturday February 28th, conjuring up the colloquial name for Edinburgh in the days when every house had a coal fire (‘Auld Reekie’ means ‘Old Smoky’), was hauled by Tornado between York and Edinburgh.

The North Briton, a week later on Saturday March 7th, will be hauled by Tornado in the reverse direction between Edinburgh and York. The train starts from Leeds (diesel-hauled) at 07:30hrs, picking up further passengers at York (08:08hrs), Darlington (08:48hrs), and Newcastle (09:41hrs), arriving at Edinburgh Waverley station at 11:31hrs. Tornado will make her first historic departure from Edinburgh’s Waverley station with The North Briton at 14:19hrs, calling at Newcastle (18:08hrs), Darlington (19:42hrs) and York (20:32hrs) where Tornado will come off the train. The train will then go on to Leeds diesel-hauled, arriving at 21:27hrs.

Fares for both the 28th February The Auld Reekie Express and the 7th March The North Briton are identical, starting at £95 Standard Class, £135 First Class, and £198 ‘Silver Service Dining’ (includes full English breakfast, lunch and four-course evening dinner, all waiter-served). Special fares of £60 Standard Class, £90 First Class are available one-way from Edinburgh to Darlington on The North Britain hauled by Tornado, with return by National Express East Coast service train (fare not included).

Andy Staite, director, Past-Time Rail, commented:

“Edinburgh is a romantic destination at any time, but to think that we’ll have the new Peppercorn class A1 Tornado at the sharp end, storming over its old ‘racing ground’ from York to Newcastle, gliding around the Northumberland coast, then drifting beneath Edinburgh Castle through Princes Street Gardens and into the old Waverley station is the stuff dreams are made of. It can only be topped by Tornado’s historic first departure from Scotland’s capital a week later!”

Speaking about Tornado’s first trains to and from Edinburgh’s Waverley station, Mark Allatt, chairman of The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust added:

“Tornado’s first trains to and from Scotland are the opening of a new chapter in the story of a project that many said could never be completed. In 1990 a group was formed with a vision and the determination to make it succeed – to build and operate a Peppercorn class A1 Pacific steam locomotive for main line and preserved railway use. 19 years later, and thanks to that shared vision and determination, Tornado was named by TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall at York station on 19th February 2009. It is thanks to our more than 2,000 regular monthly and other donors, our sponsors led by William Cook Cast Products Limited and the hard work of our volunteers and contractors that the project has achieved so much. The Trust is now looking to the great British public to help us keep Tornado on the main line by making a donation, sponsoring a component, taking part in our covenant scheme and/or our £500,000 bond issue to help repay the £832,000 borrowed to complete her construction.”

Further details of The Auld Reekie Express and The North Briton can be found on the Past-Time Rail website, www.past-timerail.co.uk , or by calling 01543 411971.

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Photographs of original A1s and Tornado are available on request.

The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, a registered charity, built Peppercorn class A1 Pacific 60163 Tornado at its Darlington Locomotive Works to haul charter trains operating on Network Rail. Fitted with additional water capacity and the latest railway safety electronics, Tornado is fully equipped for today’s main line railway. The class A1s were designed by Arthur H Peppercorn for the London & North Eastern Railway and 49 were built in 1948/49 by British Railways. However, following the dieselisation of the railways, all were scrapped by 1966. The project to build a new Peppercorn class A1 was launched in 1990 and after 18 years of planning, construction and fundraising the £3 million locomotive was completed in August 2008. Following tests and trials, first on the Great Central Railway, Loughborough and latterly on the Network Rail main line based out of the National Railway Museum, York, Tornado hauled her first main line passenger train on 31st January 2009. Tornado was named by TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall at York station on 19th February 2009. Funds to build Tornado have been raised through deeds of covenant, commercial sponsorship (principal sponsor William Cook Cast Products Limited), commercial loans and through a bond issue. The Trust is still seeking to raise funds to repay the £832,000 borrowed to complete her construction. For details of how to help or where to travel behind Tornado telephone 01325 4 60163, visit www.a1steam.com or email enquiries@a1steam.com.

For more information about Tornado, please contact Mark Allatt, chairman, The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, on 07710 878979 or mark.allatt@a1steam.com

For more information about The Auld Reekie Express or The North Briton, please contact David Wilcock, Past-Time Rail Media Affairs, on 01691 718650.