Tornado

"The locomotive's engines were designed by Arthur Peppercorn, the last chief mechanical engineer of the London and North Eastern Railway"

oh dear BBC ](*,)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nort ... 898633.stm

 

Fantastic sight this morning, looked superb with the headboard on
In all the times i've ever being to Colton Junction have i ever seen that amount of people, the amounts were just untrue. We even had quite a few BTP there, that was a first for me too. Then the helicopter came and kept hovering over and it moved on the approach of the engine but someone else decided to come with a helicopter i'm assuming for filming due to it staying to just after the engine had left ](*,) However that noise wasn't picked up in the video. We then raced around to Halton near Cross Gates for when she returned even there, it was rather busy.

My footage is now online with the usual HD option.

Footage Available here

 

A couple of video reports, courtesy of the York Press and BBC -

http://www.thepress.co.uk/news/audiovideo/video/72009/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7899654.stm

Chris

 

It's history now but 60163 stopped at Church Fenton to let HRH off the footplate and back into the train. There was a large police presence and, although you were allowed on the island platform, you weren't allowed on platform 1 or on the footbridge for security reasons.

 

Do I detect a degree of being miffed?
Maybe with reason though

http://www.newsnow.co.uk/cgi/NGoto/329576488?2760

 

It is quite clear why the naming was York, and the destination Leeds...

The loco was at York, and the VIP had engagements in Leeds!

 

So 60163 is the first steam loco built for 60 years is it? If that's their level of knowledge on the subject they don't deserve to get a naming ceremony.

 

Just for info, link to the naming thread:

viewtopic.php?f=36&t=18061&p=272173#p272173

 

Pathing concerns aside, there's no reason it couldn't have been named in Darlington (Nat Ex paranoia aside), and then travel to Leeds. And Charles would have had more fun trying to 'steer it' on the ECML with HSTs flying past, rather than being given the rather easy straight and quiet stretch from York to Fenton.

Although routing all that is probably too much hard work for the signallers these days :smt077

 

I've not seen a loco in a longtime receive such publicity!!! God help us all when the group start building the next one!!! \/ =D>

 

What do you mean God help us all Andy? The Tornado publicity machine has in my opinion been second to none, you will not get better.

We all would be wise to learn from Mark and his team.

Regards
Chris Willis

 

Chris I meant god help us all when the next project comes out!!! If Tornado is anything to go by - That'll be fantastic!!! I get the feeling that the list will be endless with this group of enthusiasts!! And do you know what! Hats off to them! Started small and ended Big!!!

 

"Lot 2" will not be with us for a while. If you read the Trust's Top Link magazine Issue 15, page 25 of 27, (warning-rather large pdf file), it seems that under the charity laws they are obligated not to endanger the security of Tornado as an asset against not repaying their outsanding loans (i.e. by funding the building of another loco before paying off all debts), but it says in there, and I have read elsewhere, that they have always wanted to build more.

Who knows, maybe one day we could see The Coronation tour run entirely by A1 Trust locos. (Tornado's boiler is good for 50 years apparently). I hope they do, and I'm thankfully young enough that I should live to see the day! Who knows, now they've actually gone and shown it can be done, once the credit crunch passes over, they might find someone willing to stump up £3m up front! We can but dream...

Am I right in thinking there is a theoretical poll like knocking around here somewhere as to what class people would like to see the next new build be?

 

Yep i've heard that too about the new build; although in this day and age won't happen for a while yet - But it does state sometime back on their website that they do have the plans etc into motion for the next loco?!?!?

 

I'm forgeting actually its more like £3.8m. But still, even in this day and age that's nothing a rich Arab or Russian wouldn't miss, looking at the Premier League.

 

She made the business news in the Sunday Times this w/e. Photo at K-X used to illustrate an item on rail fare increases! So now Tornado is being used as a token for any rail related article - maybe it will become so ubiquitous as to be to train travel what "Biro" is to pens !

Seriously, I think the WHR could do with taking a leaf out of the A1 Trust's PR book - they should be appearing in the national papers and on TV by now to generate traffic for the new extension. You can picture the headlines - "First new railway in 110 years" etc.

 

The one I want next is in Sheff's signature, though I'd prefer the version with the pointy front. Not really suitable for branch lines, but it'd be fine on the ECML...

It's a fair point that they need to clear the debt on Tornado first though. I've built a few motorbikes from bits, when I finish there's a big hole in my life, and a desire to build another one.

 

After Tornado? Follow that!

I regret (shamefully) that even though I now live very close to the ECML, I don't know very much about the LNER locomotives (no Swindon interest for me as such!) but I think, given the "nightmare" that is 4472, I believe that the money would be better placed in preserving (ie maintaining in static condition) Flying Scotsman in the Main Hall at the NRM alongside Mallard. A replica (or next one in the batch if you will) A3 could then be built to the same standards as Tornado and, to distinguish it, the locomotive could be given the name of a more recent famous racehorse (I presume it would take the next number in the series but I know little about LNER loco numbering - it confuses me!) or even carry another famous A3 name (struggles to think of one at this point!) such as erm, oh yes "Gay Crusader" or "Pretty Polly" or even that strange one "Sarajiyao" or whatever. The first name might attract a large pink vote and money. Don't have to paint the loco pink though I guess. Its got to be better than throwing money at Flying Scotsman - most of which must be nearly new or patched to death by now surely?

 

Hmm, an A3 named Red Rum...

Regards,

Dan

 

There's just been an item on our local TV news about a plan to build a 'new' Ponteract Castle. What has this got to do with Tornado? Well, Tornado was used to illustrate the argument for building the replica castle. Will "to do a 'Tornado'. " become part of the English language?