60163 Tornado – 50th member of the legendary ‘A1’ Pacific Class
At the start of 2009 arguably the most impressive preservation milestone was passed when the newly built A1 Class 4-6-2 No. 60163 Tornado made its first exciting mainline run. The superbly engineered machine was the first standard gauge steam locomotive to built in the UK since British Railways Standard 9F 2-10-0 No. 92220 Evening Star rolled out of Swindon Locomotive Works on March 18th 1960. Accordingly it was also the first express passenger locomotive to be built in Britain since No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester left Crewe Loco Works in 1954.